Sandra Gold vs. Kozue Kaburagi - Solid Gold (IM Match)

Match Type: Standard
Victory Conditions: Victory by pinfall, Submission, or Knockou888


***

The life of Kozue Kaburagi was, as usual, in a persistent state of flux.

It seemed like things we're looking up for a moment, when she lucked up and managed to get a title shot a few weeks back. She'd almost won the damn thing, too, taking Reira Kirishima to the limit. But, in the end, she just didn't have enough to get the job done, and she’d gotten a broken ankle for her effort. She’d also gotten her jaw broken by Belle B. Barker, a score she planned on settling in spectacular fashion at her earliest convenience. All in all, not a good way to start the year off.

But she was okay now! She was back in action for another episode of Tension, making her way down the ramp as the crowd cheered her on. Maybe it was just her imagination, but they seemed a bit louder than usual, giving her some extra love thanks to the title defense. It was a good feeling, one she liked, and she planned to earn it tonight. She was going to start winning and get her name back in the title picture.

Kozue slid on in the ring and as her music started to die down and popped up, looking down the ramp as her music began to fade. She didn't know who she was up against exactly, but the word was it was a new girl, someone management wanted to break in. Kozue would do exactly that, with an emphasis on the ‘breaking’.

----
Match three for Sandra.

Her reputation was starting to solidify in the AFW.  She couldn't help but feel proud about her progress, even if both her bouts had been hard fought and close.  The new atmosphere was starting to accept her, and perhaps in part to the exciting matches she was apart of.  But mostly, she imagined, because she looked the part.

AFW wasn't just about wrestling.  It was about looking good wrestling.

And as she posed in the mirror she believed embodied that.  Strong.  Confident.  Sexy.

A smug grin formed for a second before she shooed it away and made her way towards the arena.  She entered into the crowd with her arms already out, feeding off the attention.  She smiled confidently and made her way down the ring.  Her opponent seemed much smaller than her normal adversary, but she'd been around enough not to think of it as a disadvantage.  If anything, smaller wrestlers were more frustrating and troublesome than the larger ones.

She slid into the ring, jumping into the corner with another cheer to the crowds delight.  Then, she hopped off and approached her opponent.  She'd watched some of the matches and knew she was a firecracker under her small appearance.  "Good luck.  You might need it."

----

So. A couple of observations.

Her opponent was bigger than her, but that was a normal thing. Granted, that was usually a normal thing with men, and Sandra was by the biggest women she’d ever faced, but Kozue could adapt. After all, she was tough. Resilient. The number one contender for the Tension title. That’s what the boards said, anyway.

Second, she looked pretty damn confident. And hot, too, but that was a secondary consideration that she hoped wouldn't come up with this sort of match.

“Really?” Kozue raised an eyebrow as she started to circle around Sandra, while still keeping an eye out. “Little cliche there, babe. If I had a nickel for every time someone told me I’d need good luck, I’d have…” She ticked it off with her fingers. “...fifteen cents. Still, that the best trash talk you got?”

-----

Sandra looked amused at the reaction.  She shrugged.  It wasn't, but it was the only type of trash talk she deemed alright.  She'd never say anything about Kozue's appearance...or her accent considering said appearance.  Or her ninja name.  Or her size.  It wasn't exactly role-modelish to criticize anything she had little control over or something Sandra knew nothing about.

Of course, this contradicted how she acted around Daisuke her previous match.  But he started it then, so she forgave herself for that incident.

Still, it was a bad habit to overly mock every single person she met.  She already had enemies in her short tenure.  More friendly rivals than enemies, but still no friends to speak of.  "I'm used to the PG scene," she retorted with her arms out.  "Not this X level."

When the bell rang, Sandra stayed in the same pose, waiting for the quick Kozue to come after her.  She had little interest in chasing her down.  "Now then."


----

Kozue bent over and hunched as she waited for the bell to ring, eyeing her opponent up and down while they waited. Big girl. Strong girl. Tough girl. Slow girl? That was a big ‘maybe’ on that last one. She was definitely the faster of the two, but how much faster, that was the serious question. She only knew one way to answer it, too.

Still, at least Sandra seemed nice enough for the moment. Pretty much every other woman Kozue had met in the AFW had pissed her off within five seconds, but so far they were getting along fairly well. Time would tell. It would be nice to have a match where absolutely no bullshit occurred, just for a change of pace.

“Pfft, you’ve got a better body for it than me.” Kozue smirked as she took a step back and held her arms out, too, though she had significantly less to show off up top than Sandra did. The smirk grew just an inch wider the moment the bell rang. “Let’s see how it holds up.”

Without another word, she took off like a shot and darted straight towards Sandra at full speed, figuring the best way to start things off was with some overwhelming offense. She got her hands up and plowed into Sandra, trying to force her into a tie-up with her momentum to back the charge. She knew she wouldn’t win a test of strength with someone like this, but it wasn’t necessarily all about power.

-

Sandra raised her eyebrows at the compliment.  She scanned it for sarcasm.  But it was clean.  So she smiled and shrugged.  Kozue was probably right, though Sandra didn't think by much.  With a change in makeup and style she could picture Kozue looking pretty close to her level.

But before she could envision it thoroughly, the girl charged in.  Her arms shot up and she grappled with the smaller girl with reluctance.  She hadn't expected Ninjette to actually meet the test of strength even with her momentum behind her.  She prepared for a sudden kick or jump but it didn't happen, and from her higher center she actually struggled to wrestle control away from Kozue.

At least for the moment.

-

Okay, so far, so good. Kozue was not getting hurled across the ring like she was made of plaster, she was managing to keep the taller, stronger Sandra at bay. She was not nearly optimistic enough to believe that would last long, however. Now was a good time to move on to her next step, before very unpleasant things started to happen.

She suddenly released the lock up, just long enough for her to slip under Sandra’s arm and whip around behind her. She brought her arms up and grabbed her around the stomach as she passed, so it would all end up with her grabbing the blonde from behind with a tight waist lock, pressing her chest tight against Sandra’s back. Like she was about to try a german suplex. She wasn’t, since she had no intention of breaking her back like a dumbass, but this was a good position.

---

Sandra felt her momentum shift and knew she was about to overpower Kozue.  But only because the little ninja had shifted from the grapple and slipped behind her speedily.  Sandra’s hands grabbed onto Kozue’s around her waist, trying to hold them tight enough so she couldn't shift around.

“Alright you little…” she groaned under her breath.  She was trying to pull Kozue’s hands apart and off of her waist, but despite the strength difference it was an awkward angle to do so.

-

“Little...what?” Kozue managed a chuckle through her grunts, as she Sandra got a grip on her hands. Despite the weird-as-fuck angle, superior strength was starting to win out, as her hold was slowly but surely pulled apart. “Dying to know what you’d finish that sentence with.”

Her options were limited and getting more limited by the second, but she still had a good position to work with. As Sandra inevitably pulled arm further and further away, Kozue suddenly pushed forward, ramming her shoulder into the blonde’s back and trying to smash her into the turnbuckle at full speed.

-

Sandra grinned through her teeth as she pried Kozue’s hands apart.  Then she found herself being pushed into the corner.  She lifted up her foot to catch herself on the second turnbuckle and kicked off of it to flip over Kozue.  She'd done it dozens of times to guys larger than her but it was the first time flipping over someone smaller.  And it felt awkward as her feet hit the mat sooner than she expected.

She quickly recovered though, and wrapped her arms around Kozue’s waist tightly in the same position the little ninja had her in just a second before.  “Gotcha ya little…” she trailed off somewhat deliberately, as she tried to pull Kozue away from the corner.

-

And that was how Kozue learned an important lesson that would no doubt aid her in this match: she wasn’t the only woman in this ring who could pull off some impressive flippy shit. Sandra had hops, too.

“Wha-” Before Kozue even had proper time to process Sandra’s move, she was already grabbing her around the waist with a tight, pressing her in tight. It was the same move she’d used herself a moment before, but it felt a lot more effective with the bigger woman at the helm. There was no getting out of this hold like Sandra had done, no prying those hands apart.

So, for now, Kozue went along for the ride, but she didn’t make it easy on the Nebraska native. As Sandra pulled back, she started pushing back as well with her feet, trying to see if she could make her opponent trip up as they backpedaled.

“...ninja? Girl? Sexy babe with a nice butt? Pick one.” Had to keep her humor, of course.


----

As the golden blonde dragged Kozue back, a smug grin formed on her face.  Not that the ninja could see it; but it was because she already had a hold of the speedy girl.  If she could just keep her in her grasp, she knew she could make short work of her.

But it was easier said than done, and Kozue wasn't going to make it a simple task.  She suddenly backpedaled, and the shift in momentum made Sandra lose her balance.

But she wasn't an amateur.  She kept hold of Kozue tightly as she fell back, yanking the smaller girl with her as she rolled to her back and following through, rolling Kozue over and then under her on the other side in a roll up pin with her legs sitting on the back of Ninja’s thighs.

“One!” the referee called out while slapping the mat.

As Sandra pinned her, she couldn't help but look down at Kozue’s butt in front of her.  “Little sexy babe with a nice butt,” she repeated back.

-

“2…!”

Whoa, whoa, whoa! When had the referee started counting? How did she get pinned? They were rolling back and flipping around and the world was spinning, and then, just, BAM, out of nowhere, Sandra was on her thighs and she was getting folded in half and less than one second away from the quickest, most embarrassing loss in a career with quite a few embarrassing losses.

Kozue pushed up and kicked out like her life depended on it - since she’d never be able to show her face around the AFW after such a bad loss, it kind of did. She flopped over to her chest and started to push up, trying her best to keep the surprise on her face hidden. She didn’t do too well. “Thanks, hope you liked the view.” She shook her head as the referee backed away, gave them some space. “Yours is okay, too. Seven out of ten.”

---

The kickout pushed Sandra several feet away, and she settled facing Kozue with a small grin on her face.  She hadn't expected to win but it would have been a sweet, painless victory for her.  And a (physically) painless loss for Kozue too.

But the seven out of ten comment dropped her grin. “What do you mean a seven?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.  Her ass wasn't a C.  It was an A- at a minimum.  She doubted Kozue meant it to be insulting, but it made her lightly glance over her own shoulder to make sure the view was still good.  Taut.

“Thought we were getting along there for a second,” she added, taking a step forward and challenging the Ninjette to another grapple, this one a shoulder and elbow clinch.  “Guess I was being naive.”  Despite her words, Sandra's tone suggested she wasn't being serious.

-

Kozue snickered as Sandra checked out her own - incredibly firm yet supple - ass. It was highly tempting to strike while she was checking herself out, but no, she couldn't be that big of dick. Not with Sandra, at least. Kind of liked her.

“Little too flabby for my tastes, but don't worry.” She started to crouch down, bend her knees, getting ready for the next stage. “Spend a little more time in the gym, you can get a body like mine.” Kozue winked and gave her the thumbs up. “Guaranteed.”

She could've tried for the collar and elbow Sandra was offering, but the only problem with that was her not being stupid. Instead, she only brought her arms up until they were close, then ducked down at the last moment. She tried to fall down on her back behind Sandra and reached through her legs while she tumbled, attempting to pull her over and stack her shoulders with a classic schoolboy. Basic move, one of the first she learned as a wrestler, but that didn't mean it wasn't effective.

----

After the first lock up, Sandra thought Kozue would be inclined to engage in another one.  And, of course, it would've been too good to be true again.  Her arms passed over Ninjette who slipped underneath her and dragged her backwards and onto her shouldersq.  “Hey-”

“One!”

Resoundingly, the blonde kicked her legs up immediately after one, pushing the smaller girl off of her.  She rolled herself to her feet, but the pin had set off adrenaline and she wasn't satisfied with creating distance between them again.  Their little mirror match seemed to be cut short by a second.  She reached out and grabbed Kozue by the wrist, trying to Irish whip the smaller girl into the corner.  “Hope you like running-” she said quickly.

-

Kozue didn't think the schoolboy would keep Sandra down for a three count or even stun her that long, but she was surprised at how fast she got up. Her opponent wasn't just strong, but she was skilled, clearly knowing what to do in a situation with the bare minimum time to think about it. That sort of experience was going to be problematic, but she didn't have much time to think about it - she had some running to do.

“I do!” She exclaimed as she bolted off, dashing towards the corner. “But not as much-” Kozue jumped up. “-as I love-” She planted her feet on top of the turnbuckle as she landed and crouched down. “-this!”

Kozue backflipped off the top of the turnbuckle, trying to crash into Sandra with a Moonsault press, using her own body as a projectile weapon.

---

Sandra had pursued, tailing shortly behind Kozue with the intent of splashing her as she turned around.  But her eagerness...or more accurately impatience got the best of her and was met instead by a diving Kozue.

The crowd cheered at the sudden flight by her.  The ninja crashed into her, body to body, kicking Sandra’s feet out in front of her and bringing her to her back with the high flyer atop her on the mat with a sudden thud.

-

“Ha!”

Kozue didn't want to sound so happy, but she was genuinely surprised that worked out so well. It was really a crapshoot - Sandra could dodge or just be in the wrong spot  or even catch her, and it would all go to shit. Instead, it went off with a hitch, and now she just had to figure out how to follow up. Pinning didn't seem like the best idea after her last attempt failed, but there were other options. Painful ones.

“Excuse me.” She squirmed over Sandra’s body and sat at her side, grabbing her arm and pulling it through her legs she went. “Just need your arm here and…”

Kozue put one leg over Sandra’s neck, another over her chest, then pulled the arm back while she thrust her hips upwards, trying to catch Sandra with a mean, torturous armbar.

----

The stunned blonde realized the danger she was in at the last moment, flexing her arm inward to resist the tug and twisting her body into Kozue so she wasn't on her back.  Her arm started to bend back since Kozue had every advantage in the tug of war; but it wasn't straight back which the hold was designed for.

It still hurt like hell, but twisted Sandra could plant her knee in the mat so she wasn't helpless.  She pushed off of it and what little footing she can manage to shove the two in short bounds towards the ropes, trying to break the submission before Kozue managed to lock it in for good.

-

“Nononononono-”

Kozue fought and struggled like hell as Sandra made her way towards the ropes, trying to keep her hold and make her fight for every inch, but it just wasn't happening. Sandra made it all the way, snagged the the ropes, and earned her way out.

“Gah, damn it.” She snapped and let go off the hold, rolling away from Sandra and coming up in a one-knee crouch. She held up her fingers, bring her forefinger and thumb half an inch apart.

“This close, Goldie.” She smirked and shook her head. “Almost had you. Almost.”


---

Sandra held tightly to the ropes as Kozue broke the submission.  The ninjette backed off, giving her space to get up.  She did so, rubbing and stretching her arm.

“Almost,” she said back, though not as chill about the whole situation.  Armbars were no joke, and the little time Kozue had her partially in it had already hurt. And it was probably the first real pain either had felt the whole match.  The moonsault was winding, but her core was strong enough to take it.  An armbar against anyone from anyone always hurt like hell.

“I won't give you another chance with that.”  Playtime was over in her head.  She didn't want to let Kozue pull off maneuvers like that again, she wasn't always going to be fresh enough to escape so easily.  The blonde re-approached the smaller wrestler with the intention once more to overpower and push her into an advantageous position.  Though she doubted it was going to be that easy or simple.

-

“Ah, ah.” Kozue wagged her finger as she rose back up, licking her lips with a hungry smile. She wouldn’t trade being a Tension wrestler for a trip to Friction, but she had to admit, fighting other women was a different sort of thrill she rarely enjoyed. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

Despite all the bravado, Kozue could tell that Sandra wasn’t kidding, at least in spirit. She was a powerful woman with almost every advantage, and she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice - but she had her own advantage, too. That arm was hurting. That was a weak point. Not much, but she could work with it.

This time when Sandra moved in, Kozue backed up a little at first. One step, two steps, three, looking a bit hesitant, trying to bait Sandra in. When she got close to the ropes, though, she bolt forward with her arms up, looking like she’d engage the lock-up. Just like last time, though, it was a fake out - instead, she tried to grab Sandra by the wrist on her hurting arm, hoping to duck under the shoulder and twist the injured limb with an arm wringer.

---

As she cornered Kozue, the gold clad wrestler cautiously watched for the feint.  She already knew the smaller girl was too smart to meet her head on.  But that was besides the point, she needed to show that she could catch her, that she could control the pace of the match.  Otherwise she'd be chasing her all night in vain.

As Kozue reached in, Sandra adjusted, grabbing the girl back at the arm, but she twisted through her shoulder, making her release the grip.  “Agh…” she groaned from the pain in her arm.  She caught on right then to Kozue’s strategy, and didn't like it one bit.  The last thing she wanted was to be unable to use her strength advantage, then she'd just be a sitting duck waiting to be worn down and finished.

The twisting pain brought a sense of urgency, and Sandra reacted as she always did with a follow up of her own.  She clenched her twisted arm as best as she could, relying on Kozue’s commitment to the wringer.  Then she pulled her in by yanking with her body, using the other arm to clothesline her down to the mat.

-


Kozue had a quick burst of triumph as she locked onto Sandra’s wrist and scored the arm wringer, making the injury she’d started on even worse. The crowd agreed, too, give her some hearty applause for the successful attack. After all, she was a fan favorite, holding her own against an outside veteran. Always a crowd pleaser.

“Gotcha.” Kozue gave the arm wringer a good wrench and adjusted her footing, trying to get the most bang for her buck. “Now, I know nobody’s ever submitted to an arm wringer, but there’s a first time for everything, so-”

Kozue’s preposition was cut short as she was introduced to the business end of Sandra’s arm, clubbing her right in the face. She hit the canvas hard, right on her back, letting go of the hold as her legs flopped in the air. Eyes shut tight from the pain, arms spread out, teeth clench, head swimming.

Yeah. That sucked.

----

As soon as Kozue was floored, Sandra cradled her hurting arm with the good one and hunched over with a hiss.  Using her arm as a rope to haul Kozue in would’ve been fine had her arm not been twisted around.  She grit her teeth, trying to suppress the urge to hold her arm longer.  The ninjette was down and she needed to start doing real damage before the assassin could further cripple her arm.

She knelt down and yanked Kozue by the shoulders over to her.  She wrapped her good arm around the ninja’s neck and pushed down on her head with the hurt one.  It may had stung to do so, but she knew it’d be worse for Kozue in the sleeper hold.  “Do yourself a favor and stay down before I get angry,” the blonde whispered into her ear.

--

Kozue thought that, now that Sandra’s arm was injured, she wouldn't have to worry so much about her offense, that she could just take control of the match from there. She was wrong, and man, did it suck to be wrong.

It also sucked to be choked, which was exactly what happened next. Sandra’s thick, sinewy arm was around her throat, cutting off the circulation and making it impossible to taunt. She shivered at the sensation of hot breath in her ear. Normally, that was the sort of thing she’d like, but her inability to breathe was hampering any enjoyment she could get out of it.

Against Sandra’s wishes, Kozue didn't go gently into the good night. She fought and she fought hard, thrashing about like a fish on a hook, desperately trying to shake free and steal as much air as possible. Hands came up and pulled at the iron noose around her neck, hoping in vain to make her ease up.

----

Sandra would normally have never had any problem controlling someone as small as Kozue in the hold.  Sleepers were nasty business when locked in, regardless of shape or size.  But the small girl didn’t stay seated like she asked.  Not that she was expecting it.  And every time Kozue flailed about, Sandra’s arm seared in pain.

Even though she was certain the struggling would wear Kozue out, she wasn’t as certain about her arm lasting long enough for it.  She needed another solution.  And she had plenty.  With Kozue’s neck still squeezed with her good arm, Sandra stood up, lifting the girl in the process.  She then dropped her grip down back across Kozue’s waist like it was not too long before.

For a second she hesitated as the grip stung her bad arm, before adjusting her good arm closer to carry more of the weight.  She arched her back and lifted Kozue over her head with the intention of slamming her head into the mat with a german suplex!

-

The ropes, the ropes, god damn the ropes were so far away!

The thrashing clearly wasn't working, so Kozue opted for something a little more proactive and tried to get her foot on the ropes. It probably wasn't going to work, but it was just as well, since Sandra started lifting her up and released the hold. There was a moment of relief as she could breathe again, followed by a moment of dread as the hold was secured around her waist.

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-” Kozue cried out as she was lifted up and over, vainly reaching for the ropes as if her arms might magically stretch ten feet and reach them. Her cursing was cut off by the sudden impact as she landed on her shoulder, an impact that went all the way down her spine.

----

The impact struck the ninja hard, and somehow Sandra managed to hold a bridge immediately afterward.  She clenched her eyes shut in frustration as she tried to pin Kozue with essentially one arm.  Hopefully the slam was hard enough to knock out the smaller framed woman.

“One!”

----

“2…!”

Kozue was loopy. This was no gentle German suplex for the rookie - no, Sandra slammed the shit out of her, left her hanging upside down, dazed and bewildered.

But not quite done.

The referee’s hand was coming down when Kozue kicked out, flopping over to her stomach. She groaned with her face pressed against the mat. “Give up yet?”


-


Part of Sandra was legitimately surprised when Kozue kicked out.  It wasn’t like one of the quick, sneak attack pins they had used on each other before.  It was a spine crunching, head smashing pin.  The gold clad wrestler shook her head in disbelief, her left arm hugging her side.  She reached down and grabbed Kozue at the shoulder with her right hand and yanked her up harshly, using her left arm only for guidance.  “I see you won’t be anytime soon.”

She then reached down and scooped the ninja up and lifted her over her head.  She held her there for a second, walking around the ring for the crowd’s benefit before putting her left hand on her head and dropping her down to the mat so she crashed on her back.

-

“Nope.” Kozue grunted as Sandra hoisted her up, roughly pulling her to her feet. “That’s me, Ms. Tenacity.” She snickered. “Ha. Ten-Ass City.”

It probably wasn’t the funniest thing to ever come out of Kozue’s mouth, but she was a bit stressed at the moment, and she tended to joke when she was stressed. Getting held up over an Amazon’s head would do that to a person.

Kozue didn’t put up much of a struggle as she was hoisted up, Sandra putting her impressive power on full display. Considering how hurt her arm seemed to be, the feat was all the more staggering, and she put an exclamation point on it when she slammed the New Jersey Ninja flat on her back.

Kozue shrieked on the impact as she bounced over the unforgiving canvas, feeling the shockwaves all through her body. Her back arched, then slowly lowered while she writhed in pain, hurting too much to even come up with a good retort.

---

As Kozue ricochet off the mat, Sandra lifted up her good hand triumphantly.  She was starting to think her opponent's body would give in before her mind.  She just kept going on.  Not that Sandra didn't respect that.

But she still needed to put Kozue down if she was going to win the match.  And she had a fantastic way of doing just that.

She climbed the turnbuckle, finding it easy enough when favoring her right arm, then held up her arms to the cheers of the crowd.  She may not had been small compared to Kozue but she was still agile and dexterous.  With a smug grin she balanced herself on the top rope.  “Sorry doll,” she shouted before taking a deep breath and jumping high across the ring with her good elbow out in a huge flying elbow drop.  Lights flashed all over the arena as people took pictures of the flying American, as everyone collectively took a deep breath.

-

The problem was a simple one - Sandra was looking to finish her off in grand fashion, by leaping high and falling down on Kozue with the greatest elbow drop of all time, a move that would probably take her out of the match. No matter how tough she was, it would be a little hard to kick out of a pin if she wasn’t conscious.

The solution was simple, too - she needed to roll out of the way. This was a little easier said than done, though, what with her back being in unmentionable pain. Regardless, having an elbow drop come down on her from about ten feet wouldn’t make it feel any better, so it behooved Kozue to nut up and get the fuck out of the way.

“Guh!” She pushed off and rolled out of the way at the last possible second, giving Sandra nothing but canvas to land on.

-

The smile on the blonde’s face never shifted as she soared across the ring, her shiny gear and sweat covered body reflecting the lights of the arena and the flashes of the cameras.  It was a majestic, and a great titantron clip for her in the future.

A stark contrast to the landing.

She never even saw Kozue move, and crashed against the mat.  The impact bounced her over onto her front, and for a moment her whole arm just froze like it was numb before the woman cradled both under her body.  “F-Fuckin shit-” she swore heavily while pounding her head rather roughly into the mat in pain.  Her good arm was now worse than the bad one.  And as if the physical pain wasn't bad enough, she wasn't sure what had even happened, if Kozue had moved or if she had flat out missed her aim.  Either way it made her feel stupid, and she believed everyone else thought she was too.

-

Kozue gave Sandra a sympathetic sigh as she rolled around on the mat. As a woman who logged in frequent flyer miles in the ring, she’d been there. She knew how much it sucked to miss a high spot like that, feeling like a dumbass with plenty of injury on top of the insult. One of the worst feelings you could have in the squared circle.

Wouldn’t stop her from capitalizing it, though.

As Sandra banged her head on the Kozue took the opportunity to roll on top of her back, sliding over the bigger woman rippling body. “Really sorry about this, but…”

She leaned forward, wrapped her arm around Sandra’s neck with an inverted facelock, and leaned back to force her up with a dragon sleeper, squeezing as hard she could to get the most out of the devastating submission maneuver.

---

As Sandra groaned in pain, part of her knew Kozue was going to come at her with something.  She just couldn't do anything about it as her opponent crawled atop and wrapped an arm around her neck.  She yanked backwards in a dragon sleeper, her head forced up towards the arena ceiling.

She didn't struggle at first, her body not registering how bad of a place she was in.  But as the hold set in, her hurt arms reached up to try and wrench herself free from the move. It was both choking her and bending her back painfully.  She struggled around, trying to get a grip on the girl's arm.  It was nearly impossible, though, especially with one arm hurting and the other even moreso.

She fought as best as she could, but without much strength behind her resistance she might as well had been just taking it.  The referee was at her side, already asking if she submit but defiantly kept shouting no.

--

Kozue didn’t actually hold the dragon sleeper for long. It wasn’t the move she wanted to do, really - it was the move she wanted to use to set up the move she wanted to do.

The second Sandra’s arm came up to try and pull her off, Kozue let go of the dragon sleeper and snagged it by the wrists, yanking it up behind her back. “And I’m really, really sorry about this.”

Kozue tried to bring her leg over Sandra’s head and sat on her shoulder, getting the arm between her legs. From there, she pulled her the golden-haired beauty’s arm up through her legs, going for another armbar - this one more painful and solid than the last.

---

Sandra’s struggling was suddenly halted with a more painful hold as Kozue grabbed her arms and stepped over her for an another armbar.  The woman instantly groaned in pain, her arm awkwardly bent backwards.  This time she wasn't ready for it, and the smaller woman locked in the hold without any initial resistance.

The blonde kicked at the mat, her eyes closed as she tried somehow to free her arm but it was impossible at this angle.  She groaned open mouthed, trying to push herself up to her knees for some kind of leverage or escape from the pain.

All the while, the referee took her constant groans of pain as a sign of submitting, and kept checking her but she kept furiously shaking her head when she couldn't flat out say she didn't.

---

“God damn it…”[/color]

Kozue expected that this would be the part of the match where Sandra gave up. It was a solid hold, working over a limb, and she knew it had to hurt like blazes. Had to feel like her arm was getting ripped out of her socket. Had to be pure, unfiltered torture.

But Sandra wasn’t giving up. She was holding on. Hell, she was getting up to her knees, forcing Kozue to stand up to a squat while she kept pulling the arm up through her legs.

”Okay, I know it’s hard to tell right now, but…” Kozue held on to the wrist with one hand used the other to grab Sandra’s fingers and pull them, adding even more pain to the pile. ”I kinda like you and I think breaking your arm might do some damage to our potential friendship, so if you could just give up now? That’d be awesome.” Kozue looked over her shoulder, trying to make eye contact with the battling blonde behind her. ”I’ll buy drinks, promise.”

----

The golden blonde continued to resist but it seemed like a futile effort.  She couldn't flex her arm from the amount of torque there was on it, and even if Kozue’s words were sarcastic, it didn't mean her arm wasn’t going to break.  If the ninja was any stronger she imagined her arm would already have snapped by now.

She looked up at Kozue, involuntarily tears of pain in her eyes.  Even if she didn't mean to look it, the ninja seemed arrogant, condescending to Sandra.  Probably because physically she was above her.  Because she was smaller than her.  Because the hot newcomer who was suppose to be the next big thing in tension was crying in agony underneath and she was already telling her to give up for her own good.  This was suppose to be an easy match, and instead here she was submitting after only a few minutes against the smaller Kozue.

And perhaps on another day she would've.

But not this one.

Neither Jessie nor Sandra was going to give up now. Not after all the ground she had made.  She reached around with her other arm, grabbing onto something of Kozue’s.  Then, with a cross between a shout and a scream, the woman did the hardest squat she had ever done. She pushed herself off her knees, establishing both feet at once as she lifted up the ninja off the ground.  All the while her piercing shout kept going as the pressure on her arm nearly snapped it.  She arched herself backwards; slamming Kozue awkwardly in what could only be described as the world's weirdest back body drop.  Sandra couldn't care less how weird it looked.  She just had to escape.

----

Kozue had made a grave mistake. Here, along, she'd thought she was fighting a normal human, someone with regular levels of stamina and strength. Nope. Not the case. Apparently she’d just drawn a fight with the fucking She-Hulk, and she was angry.

“Oh, fuck!” Kozue squawked along with the crowd as Sandra lifted her up. There were probably a dozen ways she could’ve escaped this, but she was far too freaked out to think of a single one. She was more focused  the crushing pressure on her chest where Sandra squeezed, on how high she was, and how much it would suck when she came crashing down.

Kozue hit and hit hard, making far more noise than you'd ever expect from a woman her size. She landed hard on her shoulders and rolled over to her chest from there, laying flat and still. The only sign she was even still away was the occasional shudder and a low, constant grown.

“Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.” She muttered. “That was awesome. But shiiiiiiiiiiiit.”

---

As soon as her arm was released, Sandra cradled it into her chest under the protection of her other arm and stayed there on her back panting.  It hurt an ungodly amount thanks to Kozue’s targeted effort.  For a split second, she absolutely hated her opponent for pushing her nearly to her breaking point.

But after a heated second, the hate dissipated.  Kozue saw a way to overcome Sandra, and she took it, just like any smart wrestler would do in her situation.  Including Sandra.  Even though her arm was practically useless now, she was alert and focused.  She knew if she just laid there, the ninja would eventually be on top of her again in another armlock.  And she doubted she'd get another opportunity to escape.

Hell, the only reason she was even able to miraculously get free was because of their size difference.  She doubted being able to do that again to any of the men on the roster.

Well, maybe Clyde.

The gold clad wrestler sat up, looking at the downed Kozue with pained breaths.  She was on the ground and Sandra had to take advantage.  She balanced herself up to her feet and walked to Kozue’s legs, flipping her over with a shove of the heel.  She grabbed each leg with a hand, hissing in pain.  But she fought through it, trying to cross Kozue’s legs to set her up for her Scorpion deathlock finisher.  The crowd had seen it before and immediately started cheering and shouting.  But even though it was her signature finisher, the crippled arm hindered her ability to casually lock it in.  But she tried.

-

Kozue was slowly but surely coming back into regaining her senses. She could tell that Sandra - no surprise - was moving around. She could smell the heady scent of sweat coming off her steaming hot body as she closes in. She was cognizant of being flipped over on her back, but she wasn't totally aware of why that was happening.

That was, until she realized that Sandra was going for a sharpshooter, the king of submission moves. That got some pep in her step. “Jesus!” She started to flail around as Sandra turned it. “No, shit, no, goddamn-”

Despite her best efforts, she was still to wobbly to fight off the hold. Over she went and a world of pain dropped down on her, as the deadly move twisted her spine in hellish ways. Now it was her turn to shake her head as the referee kneeled down to check on her.

“Kozue, do you submit?”

“No!” She shrieked and buried her face into the mat. “I can...fuck…”

“Kozue, do you-”

“I said no! Shit!” She slammed her fist into the mat “Fuck off!”

----

As Sandra twisted back on Kozue’s legs, she mfelt the girl squirm and shriek but despite their role reversal, there wasn't much she could say to her.  Her arm hurt like hell, maybe not as much as Kozue’s spine, but enough that she couldn't articulate any clever verbal remarks regarding her situation.  In her mind, it was just a matter of time until she either tapped out or passed out.

“Come on!” she shouted loudly and vaguely.  She shot her head back throwing her sweat drenched hair behind her while facing up with her eyes closed.  It legitimately hurt her just to keep the hold locked in and she was struggling not to show it to everyone.  She stomped with one of her feet, trying to hang in as long as she could.  Kozue could only last so much longer.

-

God, this hurt so much. She'd seen sharpshooters locked in all the time and she didn't exactly expect it to tickle, but this was so much worse than anything she’d dream. It was agony. It was torture. It was easily the worst pain she could remember in her entire life, and she was close to tapping out.

She brought her hand up and even started to bring it down, but she pulled it back at the last moment and hit her fist. She could do this. She could escape. She just had to reach the ropes, which were suddenly farther always than she remember.

With a scream that almost matched the one Sandra made a  moment ago, Kozue started to crawl across the mat, digging her fingers into the canvas and fighting for every inch. “Comeoncomeoncome-” Kozue slammed her face against the mat a couple of times, then kept pulling forward. “Not giving up, Goldie! Hear me?” Almost there. “Not done!”

--

She heard the talking.  She heard the screaming.  But somehow, someway, Kozue was fighting it.  As unlikely as breaking out of the armbar was for Sandra…somehow Kozue was breaking her way out of this submission hold.  And not just any old one.  It was her signature, finishing submission.  The one that broke all of her opponents who refused to quit.  “Areyoufucking-”

Each time Kozue crawled an inch away, it pulled Sandra’s weakened arms down.  And she couldn’t lift them back up to pull her back.  She had to backpedal just to give Kozue’s legs enough slack so she could pull up again.  But each time she did that, the girl pulled herself yet again.  Sandra’s arms felt like they were going to full off at any moment.  They burned with fatigue and pain, but still she held onto the little ninja.  

She couldn’t squander this advantage, this opportunity.  She had to keep fighting.  But then...

“Break!” the referee said while tapping Sandra furiously on the forearm.  The woman looked at her, dumbfounded.  And sure enough, there it was.  Kozue’s hand on the rope.  She dropped the legs to the ground, an audible and undeniable, “FUCK!” screamed into the air before she staggered to the side, unable to find her balance and dropping to her knees immediately beside Kozue, albeit facing away.

“What the fuck is wrong with you…” the blond muttered breathlessly as she gasped for air.  She was drenched in sweat by this point, and thoroughly exhausted.  Through the pants, she turned to the ninja, amazed that the woman still looked to be in one piece.  “You’re gonna kill the both of us,” she continued, still in the breathless, barely audible voice of someone completely spent.

--
Kozue grabbed the ropes and held on for dear life, shaking them vigorously and hanging on for dear life. Sandra finally let go after what felt like an eternity, but Kozue’ back was so brutalized that she couldn't even notice it at first through all the pain. Everything hurt. She was aware of each bone in her spine, all the way down the column.

“Oh God, oh Jesus, okay.” She kept her face pressed to the mat as she tried to catch her breath, using the little break to collect herself.

“I've got some daddy issues going on.” She huffed and pushed up to her elbows. “Abandonment stuff. Trouble holding down a boyfriend. Recently came to terms with me liking girls, too, so that's a thing, figuring it out.” She grabbed the ropes and started to slowly - gingerly, tenderly, cautiously - pull herself back, groaning all the way. “Oh, and this Amazon nearly broke me in half. That's my short list of things wrong with me, you go next.”

----

Sandra seemed to be getting up slower than her opponent.  Part because she was exhausted, but mostly because she couldn’t see how Kozue could be standing so quickly after the hold.  Then again, the ninja was probably thinking the same of her after the armbar.  The blonde shook her head, finally working her way up to her feet as Kozue stumbled with the ropes.

The words, perhaps for the first time in the match, resonated with Sandra.  “I’ve been through that.  Don’t worry, you come out of the tunnel looking like this.  Broken arm and all,” she added, though admitting the pain was hardly a sound tactic.  “Now come on...they’re shouting at us in support,” she gestured to the noisy crowd who was loving the roller coaster of a match.  “Can’t just...stand here groaning the rest of the night.”  Even though Sandra was doing most of the groaning.

The blonde reluctantly closed back in.  She couldn’t use her arms, partly because she feared what Kozue could do with just ten seconds on either of them.  But mostly because she really couldn’t do anything with them to begin with.  As she got close to the staggering Ninja, she suddenly kicked out towards her abdomen.

-

“Not really standing.” Kozue finally pulled herself all the way up to her feet and turned to face her opponent. “More like...slumping. Kind of.”

She used her arm to massage her aching back as she looked at the audience. Sure enough, they were cheering them on. This wasn’t the sort of thing you got to see in Tension too much - no titles on the line, no hentai stips, no weird feuds that happened mostly off screen. Just two women who wanted to beat each other in a match. Wrestling. Didn’t get any purer.

“Okay, Goldie.” She spat off to the side and moved towards Sandra as she did the same. “Let’s end it.”

Kozue had taken care of Sandra’s arms, but she still had two other limbs to work with, and they were perfectly capable of doing some damage. The tip of her boot sunk deep into Kozue’s gut and forced her back down to her knee, but it didn’t take long before she gritted her teeth and started to push up again.

Her back, however, had other ideas. It was still reeling from the effects of the sharpshooter, and the sudden pain from it brought her back down to a single knee again, falling before Sandra. “Get up, get up-” She hissed and began another attempt at standing, but it was slow going.

----

Of all the things that hurt, thankfully her feet did not.  The kick nearly knocked the girl right over, and Sandra quickly regained her balanced and moved in closer again.  “Come on, let’s go sightseeing-” she stated quickly before grabbing Kozue with her better arm and dragging her the short distance to the corner.

Using her shoulder, she wrestled the girl in place before suddenly kneeing her in the stomach to keep her under control.  All the while, rather cautiously, pinning her owns arms against the sides so they weren’t hanging out and vulnerable to Kozue’s clinging grasp.  She drilled her shoulder into mher stomach several more times just to make sure the ninja was subdued for the moment, before moving in and lifting her up so she sat on the top turnbuckle.

She then climbed up to the second rope, trying to wrestle the girl’s head underneath her arm.  The girl may had been flexible enough to survive the sharpshooter, but she highly doubted after it Kozue would be able to survive her superplex.

-

Kozue groaned - again - as Sandra dragged her away. “Really don’t want to, would rather stay here and-”

Off into the corner she went, and she wasn’t alone there for long. The knee knocked the wind out of Kozue, and the repeated blasts in the stomach made sure it stayed that way. When it was all over, she was left leaning against the turnbuckle, a sweat, battered, panting mess of the woman she started this match out as. “Fucking hell…” She coughed and sagged forward. “You hit harder than, like, every guy I’ve fought. Fuck.”

That wasn’t strictly true, really, since Kozue had taken on KIng and Black Dragon. But aside from those two freaks, Sandra was easily the strongest opponent she’d taken on, which made her happy in a weird way. She was holding her own against someone like this. She had to be doing something right, then.

She managed to stop being impressed long enough to realize that Sandra was lifted her up and setting her on the turnbuckle, which could only me the start of bad, painful things. As soon as she hopped on the secnd rope and tried to grab her, Kozue put a stop it - she threw a punch out, smacking Sandra in the face with a right hook. “Nope!”

---

The hook came out of nowhere, but Sandra managed to balance herself by grabbing with good arm.  Her jaw ached, but she managed to stay up.  “God damnit-” she swore, trying to soften Kozue a bit with a blow towards the head.  Naturally, though, she swung with the arm not holding her up.  Which of course was her bad elbow, and the resulting shock elicited a pained groan from the blond.

The larger woman suddenly leaned into Kozue, trying to shift her weight into the turnbuckle so she wouldn’t fall off.  It was a stupid strategy, but at that moment she felt like a fall would be lethal, and she clung to the top rope with every ounce of strength in her good arm.

--

The punch wasn’t daisies and roses for Kozue, either. She was running on empty, and every move she made sapped away at her precious reserves. Just hitting Sandra nearly made her teeter right off the turnbuckle, for a landing that would’ve been all kinds of nasty.

Thankfully, that wasn’t in the cards. She managed to straighten up just in time to take a blow to the face, but there wasn’t that much power to it. Not that it was fun, either, but she would endure.

“C’mere.” Kozue’s words came out more like a groan than anything, as she reached out and took hold of Sandra’s head. For a scant moment, she cradled Sandra like they were two lovers, about to move in for heartfelt embrace - but that notion was dispelled when she reeled back with one arm, clutched Sandra’s hair tight, and blasted her in the face with a wild elbow, aiming right in the middle of her forehead.

----

Sandra grit her teeth as Kozue grabbed her head but was then confused at the look she was given by Kozue.  “Wha-” Then came the elbow, square to her defenseless face.  The blow shot her head back, and her hands immediately gave away as she fell backwards off the second rope to the mat below with a thud.

She landed flat on her back, spread out and exhausted, she panted weakly staring up at the blinding arena lights.  She could hear the cheers from the crowd as she weakly tilted her head sideways, unable to offer anything more than a bewildered gasp.

-

“Yes!”

Kozue had to fight the urge to jump for joy as Sandra went down. Hardly the smartest move considering her position, but she had a lot to be happy about. The might Amazon, this fierce warrior that had dragged her through hell and back, this living Terminator, was finally on her back, looking totally vulnerable. And now that Kozue was up here, she had an idea of what to do.

Despite popular belief, Kozue did have a finisher - the Shuriken. She pretty much never got to use the stupid thing, but this was the perfect sort of day for it.

Kozue stood up, trying her best to ignore the pain in her back as she rose. The crowd’s cheering help, as they egged her along. They didn’t know what she was about to do, but they did expect it to be something big, and this match had consistently delivered. As soon as she rose to full height, Kozue gave it to them. She leaped off the top rope, spun around once in mid air, then came down full force on Sandra’s stomach with a 450 splash, hammering her in the mat. The second she hit, she reached over and hooked Sandra’s leg, pulling it in and leaning on her for the pin. “Ref!”

The referee slid over and went for the count, probably as happy for this match to be over as they were.

“1…!”

-----

The cheers told Sandra that something was about to happen but the blurry images in her eyes did nothing to help her avoid the oncoming disaster.  Kozue’s shadow came careening down towards her, and struck her right across her abdomen.  No amount of sit ups could’ve saved her from the impact which rocked her body and drove the last bit of energy from her.  She groaned like she had just been punched in the gut by a gorilla, before being forced down and pinned.

“2...!”

Sandra didn’t budge as the ref counted, the ninja having flattened her with the high flying maneuver.  It seemed fitting that she lost to Kozue, if only because she actually knew how to use such devastating and spectacular moves without killing herself in the process, unlike Sandra.

She weakly tried to kick the hooked leg but no strength came to her to break it free from Kozue’s grip.  Precious split seconds ticked by and Sandra felt it was hopeless.

Then as she tilted her head left she saw her second miracle of the day.  And kicked her free leg atop the bottom rope.

The referee’s hand was already coming down for the third count when she saw the foot and pointed at it.

-

...three?

Kozue’s head shot up when the referee stopped the count, looking at her with pure confusion. There was supposed to be a three. Sandra had moved around a little bit, sure, but she didn’t raise her shoulders. Why would the referee stop counting? Unless-

A split-second later, she spotted the leg on the rope. Her jaw dropped so low she almos though it would come unhinged, and, for the second time in the match, the arena was filled with the loud sound of a woman screaming “FUCK!” at the top of her lungs.

Kozue sat up on her knees, staring off into the ceiling, as if the answer to her problems was written up there. “What do I gotta do, what do I gotta do…” She muttered for a moment, then looked down at her opponent. This woman just would not quite. For anything. Ever. She was starting to think Sandra was right: they were going to kill each other in this ring.

“Fuck it.” She pushed off the mat and got to her feet, grabbing Sandra by the arm and leg as she rose. It wasn’t easy - in fact, she nearly threw out her back doing it - but Kozue managed to pull Sandra back, just far enough from the ropes that she’d have no chance to get them again.

“If at first you don’t succeed…” Kozue stepped over Sandra and made her way up the turnbuckle once more, struggling to reach the top. She reached her perch, turned around, took a deep breath, and jumped off once again, soaring through the air and coming down on her fearsome with another 450 splash!

----

Sandra could barely look up at Kozue as she dragged her away from the ropes.  Her foot slid off the bottom rope and with it, she imagined, her only lifeline at staying in the match.  She could think of a thousand ways Kozue could make her life a living hell in her state.  She released her a few feet away from the rope, the gold wrestler’s arms and legs dropping limply to the mat.

People were cheering, chanting something out loud but Sandra couldn’t make it out.  She could see the shadow of Kozue in the corner again.  Again.  She knew another splash like the first and she’d be done.  Hell, she might already had been done from the first.  And now the assassin was going to drop down on her all over again.

“N-No…” she muttered breathlessly as Kozue turned around and leapt off the rope.  Somehow, someway, she found a tiny fragment of strength.  Just enough to roll herself a foot to the right.  Not completely out of harm, but enough that the splash would only glance her at the arm.  She just prayed it would be enough to save her for the moment.

---

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Kozue realized this was probably not the best idea she ever had. Warning klaxons were going off, alarms were blaring. But Sandra was dead to the world, she told herself. She wouldn’t move. It would be fine. And besides, she literally had nothing else to throw at the woman. Her arsenal was emptied, her body was spent. It would work.

Well, the voice was wrong. Kinda.

She did hit Sandra...with her head. The rest of her body, however, slammed into the mat at high velocity, and the result wasn’t pleasant to watch. The crowd recoiled as she let out a weak, helpless croak, then rolled over on her back with a blank stare.

----

The spent blonde felt the impact and groaned, expecting it to hurt a lot more than it had.  Something of hers had struck her arm, causing Sandra to pull it into her body with a moan of pain.  Still, though, she knew the ninja wasn’t on top of her.  And from the noises in the crowd, something had gone wrong.

She looked sluggishly to her left to see Kozue laid out on her back.  With all her might, Sandra crawled over the ninja, just enough for it to be considered a pin.  She placed her good hand across Kozue to the opposite shoulder and laid down on her, not to weigh the girl down but because she couldn’t hold herself up.  She didn’t even signal to the referee, hoping the effort was enough for her to notice.  And she did.

“One!”

“Stay….stay down…” the sweaty blonde whispered breathlessly.  This time, it sounded more like a plea than a request.

-

Kozue tried to make her body move. She really did. The signals were coming out of her brain in full force, trickling down to every limb, demanding they all do something to escape. All she had to do was get a shoulder. Not even both shoulders. Just one damn shoulder. One.

“2..!”

It wasn’t happening. Not this time. There was no escape, and all Kozue could do was watch as the referee brought her hand up for one, final time, then slammed it back down.

“3!”

And the crowd went wild. The bell rang, claps were heard all around them, Kozue was sure she heard a baby crying nearby. She couldn’t pay attention to most of it, really, because she was having trouble moving. Plus, she was laughing.

“Wow.” She giggled, sighed, shook her head. “That was good for me. What about you?”

----

Sandra didn't believe it when she heard her song play throughout the arena.  She stayed there atop Kozue, amazed at how hard the match had pushed her.  And Kozue.  She wasn't sure she wanted to try that again, even knowing the result.

She pushed herself up to try and get off her opponent.  She managed to push herself only a foot away before she flipped around and laid back against Kozue with a groan. “Ungggh...oh my god.”  She slumped down, her sweaty head laying against the ninja’s stomach.  “That was...crazy,” she said back, turning to look up at Kozue.  She wasn't sure what to say.  She couldn't remember the last time she'd worked so hard for a win.  Or even a loss.

“I’m not sure I deserved to win that one,” she added as the referee bent down to lift up her arm in victory.  She pulled herself up to her feet using the referee as a guide. “But, no hard feelings right?”  She turned to help Kozue up as well, not wanting to stand over her.

Then came the boos and shouts. It took Sandra a second to even hear them.  The referee released her and moved away towards something, only for Sandra to turn just as someone was throwing the referee out of the ring.  “What-what the-”

But she recognized the person before they even turned around to face her.

“Dragon.”

She tensed up, staring down at the large, strong man as he took a few casual steps towards her.  She knew from plenty of experience he played things rough, but back in their old league this kind of move would be fined and worthy of suspension.

But not here.

He charged at her and even though she was in no condition to fight Sandra wasn't going to just stand there.  She jumped up and tried to bicycle kick him in the face.

But he was fresh, and ducked right under her exhausted kick.  And turned halfway to return it with a kick of his own just as she spun around.  It smacked her right in the jaw, bringing her down the mat with a snap.  It flattened her instantly, the gold blonde wrestler left spread eagle on the mat.

The boos and jeers continued to rain upon the ring, the man grinning in pride with himself.  He stalked over to the nearly out cold Sandra, grabbing her by the boot and lifting it up.  She didn't make a sound, she was out of it and broken from the match.  He didn't seem to care.  He was intent on leaving her in no condition to compete with him and John the following week.  And at that moment, if he succeeded, she'd be lucky to compete again in the next two months.

-

Things started out nicely, which was rare in the AFW. How many matches ended this cleanly? Not too many. Two warriors went in the ring, they gave it their all, one of them didn’t have quite enough to get the job done, and the better woman won. Tale as old as time. A beautiful, wondrous thing.

That was why, when Sandra started to help her up and she heard the boos, she wasn’t surprised that someone was coming to rain on the parade. It had gotten to the point where Kozue just expected bullshit to pop up the moment something nice happened, as if it were a universal law.

“Motherfucker.” She growled under  her breath as Black Dragon made her way up the ramp It had been a while since she’d had to deal with him, and thanks to the recent string of halfway decent events in her life, their beef had fallen to the wayside in her mind. Apparently, he was here to remind her.


Only Sandra got to him first. Kozue grabbed the ropes and started to pull herself up as the one-sided battle happened, considering her options the whole time. No time to get a weapon, not time to get help. She wasn’t good enough to take Dragon down when she was 100%, right now she was a few points away from zero. She could stand up and swing her skinny arms. That was about it.

It would have to do.

As Dragon lumbered towards Sandra’s prone body, Kozue came in from behind and swung her arm up between him legs, hitting him right in the manhood with all the force and hatred she could muster. “Remember me, dipshit?!”

---

As Kozue’s arm came up strong, Dragon never saw it coming.  He, naturally, had seen the match, and expected the little ninja he had dealt with in the past to just stay down. Not because she was a coward, but because she was weak in his eyes.

His strong legs clamped in around her hand as she struck him, dropping Sandra’s leg back to the mat. He didn't groan, but he did drop almost instantly to his knees.

-

“Grrg!” Kozue grunted as his legs clamped around her hand, trapping it in place and forcing her to keep the position. Not good. She’d sort of hoped he’d just lay down and be all peaceful after the nutshot, but Dragon seemed like he was made of strerner stuff. “Okay, then.”

Since her hand was already there, she gave his balls a hard squeeze, raising the pain. At the same time, she whipped her arm up and tried to chop him in the neck from behind, going for every dirty trick she could think of. It wasn’t exactly the proudest way to fight, but it would keep them both off the injured list that Dragon clearly wanted them both on.              

-

This time, the guy did groan as Kozue squeezed on the weak spot, with another groan as she chopped him in the back of the neck.  “You...little…” he grunted through the pain before releasing Kozue and crawling towards the ropes to pull himself up to his feet.  Even he wasn't sure if he was going to run or turn around and curb stomp Kozue for interrupting him.

But as he yanked himself upset the ropes, it seemed he wasn't about to flee, as he turned around despite the crippling cheap shots.

-

“Little...what?” Kozue emphasized her words with a painful twists on his balls. “Complete sentences, please.”

She fell to her knees, spent, as Dragon staggered towards the ropes. She wanted to stay down so bad, her body was begging for this to be over, but she knew this guy too well. She had to dig deep and keep going, or he’d just never stop.

When he turned around, Kozue was there to greet him with a high knee to the face, delivered on the tail end of a short sprint across the ring. She was probably hurting herself more than him just to deliver it, but she’d worry about those details later.

-

Dragon looked up just in time to get kneed in mthe face.  His head shot back, both hands grabbing it as he stumbled backwards.  He tripped over his own foot, his momentum carrying him out of the ring.  As he fell to the ground below, he caught himself with one arm.  He staggered to his feet but then he backed away from the ring, seemingly uninterested in continuing the fight.  His eyes glared darkly at Kozue.  “Little shit,” he spat, rubbing his masked face while backing up.  He kept the glare until he was back up the ramp and slipped backstage.

The crowd starting cheering on Kozue for the heroic act.  Sandra, barely aware of it, groaned as her eye rolled head shifted to the side.  Mindlessly, one hand rubbed her pain jaw while she stayed laid out in the mat.

-

“What's that?” Kozue shuffled over to the ropes and leaned over, yelling Dragon’s way. “I'm a little shit, huh? This little shit just knocked you out of the fucking, you overgrown asshole!”

She shot her middle finger his way, then turned to Sandra and knelt down beside her, giving her a few shakes on the side. “Hey, big girl.” She bit her lip, not even bothering to hide the concern in her voice. “You okay?”

The whole time, she kept glancing over her shoulder, making sure Dragon had really, really gone. Never could be too sure.

---

Sandra weakly grasped onto Kozue’s forearm, not entirely aware who it was asking or even what she had said.  Part of her feared it was one of Dragon’s posse.  But as the image stopped spinning, Sandra blinked to see it wasn’t any of the masked thugs.  In fact, it was her opponent.  “What...ow-” she rubbed her jaw again.  She remembered the split second of seeing the kick coming but not it connecting or her going down.

“Oh...shit…” she muttered in pain, her head tilting around to see where Dragon was, but was surprised to hear the crowd lightly chanting Kozue’s name.  “What happened?” she asked vaguely, if only ignorant because she hadn’t pieced together specifics and her head was still spinning.  She hauled herself to a seated position, still dizzy.

-

Kozue was relieved when Sandra showed some sense on her face. For a bunch of reasons, really. Chief among them being that she was kind of cool, and Tension needed more chicks who weren't giant bitches. Sandra being on the injured list wasn't good for anyone.

“You got attacked by a gorilla in a mask named Black Dragon. Not sure why, but some guys around here don't need much excuse to be a dick.”

She folded her legs and sat beside Sandra, Indian style, while the referee came over to check them both out. Even before Dragon showed up, they'd been through hell, and they both probably had broken things they didn't notice get. “I ran him off. Kind of.” She shrugged. “It was more like I cheap shorted the fuck out of him and he just sort of gave up. Counts in my book. Fucker had it coming.”

---

Sandra rubbed her forehead groggily.  “Yea...I know that ass.  A real charmer, him.”  She rubbed her sore abdomen, hissing when she stretched her arm a little too far.  She wondered if she Kozue had torn something in it, because it really stung like hell.  At least it wasn’t broken.  “I…” she started, rubbing her jaw again.

For a moment she wondered what would have happened to her had Kozue not intervened.  She wasn’t sure why she had.  But she doubted all Dragon wanted to do was kick her in the jaw.  And the little ninja had, despite the two beating each other senseless beforehand, somehow fought him off.  “I...thanks…” she reached up to pat Kozue awkwardly on the shoulder.  She wasn’t entirely sure what to say.  She couldn’t remember the last time someone stood up for her.

As the referee checked them for injuries, Sandra thought it upon herself to get up.  She had recovered some of her breath so some of her energy had returned, even if her jaw and right arm were killing her.  “How’re you holding up?” she asked rather suddenly.  Obviously better than her, since she was able to hit the man where Sandra had failed.  But she did remember the submission she had her in, and suddenly felt guilty that she held it on Kozue for so long.

-

Kozue’s eyes rose a few inches when Sandra mentioned that she and Black Dragon had some history. Since she’d only been in Tension a few weeks, tops, that was quite a statement - in her experience, Black Dragon usually at least waited a little while before he started making your life hell. Why he’d centered on her so fast, Kozue couldn’t guess, but she was more than a little curious. Sounded like there was a story, there.

A story for another time, though. “Physically, I’m absolute shit right now.” She grabbed the rope for support and used them to pull herself back up, grimacing every now and then. Her spine was hurting in ways that she didn’t know it could hurt, so an x-ray was in her near future.

“Mentally, though?” Kozue leaned back against the turnbuckle and smiled Sandra’s way. A genuine, real, honest smile, not the devious smirks she typically threw at people. “I’m great. I had a lot of fun with that, seriously. You’re crazy in the ring, absolutely love it.” She Sandra two thumbs up. “We should do that again. Not anytime soon, I mean. Obviously, right?”

Kozue closed her eyes and sighed, a sound of pure content. “But again. Definitely.”

-

Sandra couldn't help but catch Kozue’s contagious positive spirit about the whole ordeal.  The match pushed her to her limits, but in the end there wasn't any hate between the two despite real injuries.  “Yea...that was something else.”  She wasn't sure she wanted a rematch anytime soon.  At least from how she remembered it, Kozue had her against the ropes more than once.  Sandra only won because she got lucky.  But still, she was right.  It was a hell of a match, and not having a rematch would be a disservice to everyone.

She laughed once, wrapping an arm around Kozue’s shoulder.  “Look…” she started, slowly walking her way towards the edge of the ring with the woman.  “If you ever need anything...just let me know alright?  I owe you big time.”  The blonde smile. “Little sexy babe with a cute butt.”

-

Kozue followed along with Sandra, walking in step with her across the ring. Usually she didn’t like this sort of thing - the hand on her shoulder, the warm fuzzies, the feeling that someone should be playing after-school special music nearby. But this was nice. Weird. But nice.

“Pfft, you don’t owe me shit. Plastering Black Dragon is a reward by itself..” Kozue started to give Sandra a playful elbow in the side, but she thought better of it after a moment. Probably still tender. “That being said, if you bought me a drink sometime, I wouldn’t say no. Just keep that in mind.”

Kozue started to slip through the ropes and make her way out, but she paused halfway. “Oh!” She snapped her fingers. “Almost forgot. Just for the record, your butt? Not a seven. Was just messing around. It’s an easy 9. Maybe 10. Maaaaaaybe.”