Blossom Fields vs Samiya Kusanagi - Light vs Dark

For the second time that evening, the Friction arena was filled with the sound of Skillet’s Rise. This time, the fans had a better idea of what to expect and more than a few were ready to chant along with the countdown on the big screens – new or not, the newcomer was at least interesting enough to hold their attention. This time too, Samiya’s garb as she stepped through the curtain and onto the stage was more to their tastes – even if a lot was hidden by the long black coat she wore over it, those close to the debuting wrestler could get hints of a sleek black one-piece and boots, not to mention the gloves that protected her hands.

Making her way down the aisle to the ring with a predatory grace and an elegant swish to her gait, the Schoolgirl Assassin paused to slap a couple of hands, even if her attention was solidly focused on the ring. The crowd were still not sure what to make of her, hence the mixed reaction, but more than a few of the locals had remembered where they’d heard the name Kusanagi before. This, they were telling their neighbours, ought to be good. Remember Asami Kusanagi?

For her part, the wrestler was as confident as ever. She knew who she was up against. She’d done her research. Her game plan was fixed in her mind. All she needed to do was execute it and she’d have made a statement to back up what she’d said earlier.

This time, she hopped up on the canvas before ducking through the ropes only to roll up into a crouch centre-ring. Then back to her feet, discarding her long coat in a single serpentine shimmy to finally give the crowd a good look at what she was wearing underneath. A kick sent the coat to the floor before Samiya began to pace her side of the ring, stretching out in final preparation for the fight about to begin.

She knew who was about to enter. Time to see how the crowd reacted. After all, this was all for their benefit, really. She smiled to herself.

On a screen backstage, Blossom watched as her opponent made her way down the ring, looking up with folded arms and an unsure face.

”Samiya Kusanagi…”

The name sounded a little familiar somehow, and she thought saying it out loud might help her recognize why that was. It didn’t. Plus, frankly, Blossom felt that if she’d seen this woman before, she would’ve remembered. She seemed so confident, so sure of herself despite not even showing up in the AFW before tonight. Slapping hands, sliding into the ring like she owned it, wearing that tight little one-piece that accentuated her curves in all the right places…

”Gah, damn it.”

Blossom gave her cheeks a good slap and tried to shake out whatever mixed vibes she was getting. Being too distracted by a nice body in a hot outfit was a reason - one reason - why she’d done so poorly in her first year with the AFW, why she’d had to take an early retirement. She’d wound up working in the AFW’s gym as a trainer, a sweet little gig that let her stay around the sport she loved without the disappointment she hated.

But the wrestling itch had been bugging her lately, and management had been kind enough to offer her a match every now and then. She figured now was as good a time as any to do a little scratching.

So, here she was again, in her green singlet and wrestling shoes, hanging around the gorilla position, reliving some old memories. One of the stagehands gave her the signal to come out, and she gave them a quick nod back.

Deep breath.

Count to three.

Go.

”It’s coming up!
It’s coming up!
It’s coming up!
It’s coming up!
It’s coming up!
It’s coming up!
It’s dare!”

Blossom came bursting through the curtain as Gorillaz’s Dare blared through the loudspeakers. Mixed reactions seemed to be the thing tonight - there were a few who remembered her fondly and gave her cheers, there were a few who didn’t want to see her back in the ring and booed, and there were a few who didn’t seem to care either way and were heading towards bathroom breaks.

Though she was all smiles and high-fives as she made her way down the ramp, she was trying her best to push the audience out of her mind tonight. No negativity. No bad thoughts. Fear was the mind-killer and all that.

She could do this. One more try.

Blossom slid in under the ropes and rolled over to Samiya. She popped up to her feet, standing close to her foe, at which point she made a startling discovery.

”Hey…” She brought her hand for the top of her head to the top of Samiya’s, measuring it out. Her eyes lit up, right on the spot. ”I think we’re the same height! That’s a first for me.” She chirped, genuinely glad she didn’t have to take on a titan for her comeback match. She could lift people who were bigger than her, but having someone light to work with was always welcome. Less back pains.

”Blossom Fields.” Blossom stepped back and extended her hand. Samiya had said some cryptic, creepy things earlier, but she preferred to judge people firsthand.  ”Nice meeting you. Welcome to the AFW.”

Samiya paused in her movements to watch her opponent’s entrance, although she needn’t have bothered. It was exactly the same as in the matches she’d watched; the same music, the same outfit, the same cheery grin as she made her way down to the ring.

Blossom Fields.

Strong as they came, a returning wrestler and one who specialised in power moves. No killer instinct to speak of, no real drive to succeed given how she’d backed out of a wrestling career to focus on being a trainer and not particularly confident in herself when it came to it.

She was one Samiya wasn’t quite sure about. Had she been through her crucible? Had she already been tested and been found wanting or was she still burning? Was this all still part of her test?

That, she supposed, was what they were there to find out. Together.

At that point, the other wrestler was in the ring, closer than she’d expected her to enter. Samiya greeted the announcement about their heights with a slight chuckle before accepting the hand with her own firm grip.

”Samiya Kusanagi.” Her response was calm, controlled. ”And thanks. Hopefully, you’re not too rusty – this is the first time you’ve been in the ring for a while, right?”

She smiled at the petite powerhouse opposite. And then, using her grip on Blossom’s hand as leverage, the Schoolgirl Assassin leapt up, swinging her legs up and attempting to lock them around her opponent’s neck and arm in a combination flying triangle choke and armbar. If it worked, she’d try and take both of them to the mat with a practiced combination of bodyweight and momentum, looking to gain an early advantage in the match.

Samiya knew from having done her research that Blossom was more than powerful enough to cope with this. But she was counting on surprise playing in her favour; surprise at the attack before the bell, surprise at Samiya going straight for a submission hold, surprise at her own not inconsiderable power. Off balance and not yet ready for a fight, she was confident that she could pull this off.

Not to mention almost no-one in their right minds would try and start off a match with a submission hold. It certainly caught the fans and the ref alike on the hop. Of course, none of them had seen her fight before. And, if she happened to be wrong about catching Blossom off-guard, she had a backup plan for that too.

Right off the bat, things were interesting, here.

Samiya was hardly the first wrestler Blossom had encountered who was a short as she was. In fact, it was fairly commonplace. The main thing that set her apart from the vast majority of them was, well, talent.

While her record was piss-poor, Blossom wasn't a kawaii. She was built. She was strong. She had actual wrestling training, and had managed to hold her ground against some decent opponents. 99% of wrestlers around her size, though, were weak girls with little in-ring experience and talent, built like twigs with just as much wrestling knowledge. Blossom didn't like to brag, but she liked to think she was above that. It didn't take a great wrestler to spot a bad one.

She also thought the same thing about the woman standing before her, and their handshake confirmed it. A firm, solid squeeze from a hand that was clearly used to exerting a lot of force for all sorts of things. Things that Blossom would probably be learning about in the soonish future. A body that - while not unpleasing to look at, Blossom wouldn’t lie - had some good muscle going on.

It was refreshing to come across another bite-sized grappler, and it was refreshing to meet another friendly face in the middle of the ring. For all the three or so seconds that lasted, anyway.

”Yeah, I took a little break, but-”

Blossom squawked as she was suddenly pulled forward into a pair of sensuous, sinewy serpentine thighs, clamping around her head and arm with a tight triangle choke. She leaned forward as the vice clamped on and Samiya’s weight dragged her down, anchoring her to the ring in a deathtrap.

The audience was surprised, the referee was surprised, and Blossom was extremely surprised, as the wide-eyed expression on her face clearly showed. A moment later, those same eyes shut tight as a hardened grimace took over her features, a sharp hiss came through her clenched teeth.

Not that way she wanted to start her return off. Nope, nope.

The bell might as well have rung to signal the end of their match as its beginning.

Several of Samiya’s opponents had gone to sleep between the dark beauty’s curvy thighs over the course of her short career, her triangle holds one of the most dangerous parts of her deadly arsenal. There was a good reason why one of her finishing holds was a variant on a triangle. She knew the move inside and out, knew the way her victim’s pulse fluttered against her arms or her inner thighs, knew the desperation in their eyes as unconsciousness threatened after only seconds.

Knew it and loved it.

Samiya had the strength for a more traditional scissor hold, there was no doubt about that. But she preferred the triangle. Any idiot with strong enough legs could get a submission with a scissor hold if they just squeezed hard enough and did enough squats. Triangles, now those took technique. Skill.

As Blossom was finding as the Schoolgirl Assassin methodically went about rendering her unconscious.

Except she didn’t. The tattooed newcomer kept the pressure up long enough for Blossom’s shoulder pressing into her carotids to turn her more than a little woozy, her own body collaborating in keeping vital blood from her brain.

”So much for your big comeback,” She mused, using her free hand to brush a wisp of hair out of Blossom’s eyes almost tenderly.

With that, Samiya popped her hips, going to roll the pair of them over so that Blossom was on her back with the submission specialist mounted on her neck. Immediately, with the ease of the true expert at work, she’d spin out and fall to the side, looking to wrench the arm she’d trapped with a simple armbar. But she kept her legs folded, keeping the triangle locked solidly around her opponent's neck into the bargain.

Unless her opponent intervened, the changeover would take an instant.

On one hand, Blossom couldn't be too mad at Samiya. As much as she hated to admit it, she sort of asked for this after the way her opponent had declared her intentions, only an hour or so ago. Granted, she couldn't have seen this coming specifically, but she should've known something was up.

But as usual, she fell for a nice small and an extended hand. Had to work on that. She could kick herself later. For now, she had more pressing matters to deal with. Like breathing.

Blossom started to drag Samiya back, trying to fight the oncoming wooziness, hoping she could get to the ropes and catch a break there, but her opponent had other, more painful ideas. The next thing she knew, Samiya had flipped them over into a decidedly less comfortable position - not the easiest feat to accomplish - and the crushing became even worse.

Pain. Despair. Panic. All with that smug, satisfied look on Samiya’s face. Blossom could already tell, she’d fit right in with the AFW.

She closed her eyes, blocking out the image and focusing on the task at hand. She could think up a few ideas for getting out, but they were all a bit fancier than she wanted to risk at this point in the match. For now, the top priority was escape, and there was one, proven, effective way to do that.

The ropes. Had to get them. Fast.

They were still a ways away, even with the rolling, but whatever, she didn't expect this would be easy. Moving in the hold as best as she could, Blossom tried to get her feet under her, pushing against the mat with her free arm to get Samiya onto her back once more while she wound up on her knees. The second she could get that much, Blossom made a mad effort to drag Samiya along the canvas, sticking her leg out to hit the ropes the second she sensed she was close enough.

Knocking Blossom out already wouldn’t have served any point, really. It would have annoyed the fans, Blossom would have written it off as simply a case of cheating and, all in all, Samiya wouldn’t have got anything out of it either.

No, it was in the Schoolgirl Assassin’s interests to draw this out a bit, hence the switch to the armbar – in the short run, less effective. In the long run, she wanted to go for the other girl’s legs. Powerhouse or not, it was hard to use that strength as well if the vertical base had been cut out from under you.

Just letting go wasn’t an option though, and she wanted to wring as much advantage out of this as she could.

Once Blossom got her knees under her, Samiya knew her time was nearly up. It was too early in the match, her opponent too strong, to try and keep her down. That said, nearly up and up were far from the same thing.

So, gritting her teeth at the discomfort of being dragged across the mat, she focused on doing as much damage to Blossom’s trapped arm as she could manage. At least, until the other wrestler’s foot brushed the ropes.

Her awareness of that fact came from the referee, who’d been lurking nearby, starting her count. That, in turn, was the signal for Samiya to release the arm in favour of grabbing Blossom’s hair and doubling down on the Triangle Choke instead.

Could she knock her out before the ref hit five? Not a chance. Could she get her money’s worth out of the hold and maybe make Blossom think she’d been on the verge of losing?

That she could do.

The Schoolgirl Assassin worked the choke hard for the full four and a half seconds she was allowed, clamping down with her tights-encased thighs as if she meant to flatten the other wrestler’s neck. Only a heartbeat before she’d have been disqualified did she release her lock, rolling away into a feline crouch nearby with a thin smirk gracing her full dark lips.

”Tsk, tsk. Someone’s out of practice…”

The crowd was steadily getting behind Blossom, despite her long absence from the ring and the fact that she hadn’t exactly set the ring on fire last time. Nobody like a cheater, and while what Samiya had done wasn’t exactly illegal, it was hardly sportsmanlike, either. Blossom was the clear underdog, here, right from the outset.

It was a nice thought. It didn’t make the armbar hurt any less, but still, nice thought.

What Blossom wouldn’t have done to be just a foot taller, if only for a minute or two. Getting to the ropes was always tough, but getting there when you have smaller legs to work with that most was a challenge and a half. Blossom bit down hard to keep the screams in, fighting past the pain as she continued the arduous trek. Took her longer, far longer, than she would’ve liked, but eventually she reached the ropes and earned her salvation.

That was how it was supposed to work, anyway. Samiya didn’t seem to care, and she kept on not caring despite the referee’s warnings.

”Come on, let go! 1! 2!” The ref counted in shrill shrieks as Blossom banged her feet on the floor. ”3! 4!

A small part of Blossom thought Samiya might just mess up and lose by DQ. The same small part would've been happy to pick up the easy win. Blossom hated that small part.

It turned out to be a moot point. The referee had just begun to get the last number through her lips when Samiya finally released Blossom from her prison of pain and rolled away. Blossom immediately sat back against the ropes and nursed her aching arm, shaking it to get the feeling back in and make sure it was in working order. Lots of pain, but it wasn’t inoperable. Just needed a little time, and it would be good enough to use some of her better moves, so long as she was careful.

A good thing, too, because she had a lot of ground to cover, and if the devilish smile on Samiya’s face as any indication, they were just getting started.

The match was barely one minute old.

"Sheesh..." Doing her best to ignore the taunt, Blossom grabbed the rope for support and pulled her way up, eyes never leaving Samiya for a second. The referee moved away and Blossom stepped forward, easing into her grappling stance. Knees bent, leaning forward, arms out...one arm out, anyway. She kept the injured one tucked back for the time being and reached out with her working one, offering a test of strength to get things properly started.

Ignoring the crowd – they’d see what she was trying to show them soon enough – Samiya remained in her crouch, watching her opponent even as Blossom watched her. She kept holding her opponent’s gaze as Blossom pulled herself to her feet, Samiya rising to her feet unaided with sinuous ease before stepping back, arms wide in invitation.

An invitation that Blossom promptly accepted, joining Samiya and raising her uninjured limb in a classic proposal that drew a cheer from the fans. Hurt or not, they were very clearly sure that Blossom would easily dominate in this part of the match. They’d seen her incredible strength demonstrated more than once and, stocky or not, it never crossed their minds that Samiya could possible compete.

Test of Strength offered.

The other wrestler was smart enough to keep her wounded arm out of it but, even so, it was such an utterly standard move that the dark-haired grappler had to suppress a laugh. She had absolutely no doubt that Blossom would be ready for another takedown like the one she’d just pulled, of course, but that didn’t make it a smart move.

Samiya nodded and stepped forward, arm coming up match Blossom’s. She didn’t think she could win, well-built as she was, but she certainly meant to show both Blossom and the audience that she was plenty strong in her own right.

Only for the Schoolgirl Assassin to duck and pivot in after maybe ten seconds in the contest, looking to grab the petite powerhouse’s bicep with that arm while her other shot forward for the thigh. If she could secure her holds, Samiya would put on a display of her own power by hoisting Blossom up over her head before slamming her back down again with an authoritative Fireman’s Carry Slam.

If that landed, she’d immediately go to drop down and lock Blossom’s other arm in a scissored armbar – while taking out the legs would be safer, there was nothing wrong with wrecking the arms if she kept getting the chance.

Besides, she was teaching Blossom how to be a better wrestler. Pain was the best teacher, something she knew well.

There was something off about Samiya Kusanagi. Blossom wasn’t the most perceptive woman walking the AFW halls, but even she could pick up on it.

It wasn’t the fact that she seemed to enjoy wrecking her limbs a little too much. If anything, not liking that sort of thing would’ve made her standout more. It wasn’t her complexion, which was a little darker than you’d expect from someone with a clearly Japanese surname. She was mixed with something, but what exactly? Blossom couldn’t put a finger on it. Definitely a rare breed. Exotic and mysterious, it added to her allure.

No, it was something else. Something about the way she moved, the way she looked at Blossom, even as their fingers met for the lockup, the way she seemed so focused, as if it wouldn’t have mattered if they were the only ones in the arena. A niggling little thought that she pushed to the back of her head as she pushed forward and tested her might against Samiya’s.

This new wrestler was strong. That much was obvious from a serious look at her body, but feeling the grip, pitting their muscles against each other, having to strain against her - Blossom got a real feeling for what she was dealing with her. Despite her stature, Samiya would’ve had 90% of the roster reeling, right now.

Luckily, Blossom was in the 10%. It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t quick, it wasn’t pretty, but she was gaining ground on Samiya, pushing back and exerting her dominance and driving dark beauty back. Just a little more, just a little more…

Blossom wasn’t sure what happened after that, but oh boy, did it happen. One second she was gaining ground, the next second she was getting lifted up, the second after that she getting slammed into the mat, and the second after that saw her letting out a distressed yelp as Samiya’s legs closed in on her good arm.

Another armbar. Sensing a pattern.

For a second Blossom tried to roll to the side, a vain attempt to stack Samiya and resist the hold, but her other arm was still huritng too much for that. She tried it for all of three seconds before she gave up and starting scooting for the ropes once more, stretching out to touch them and break the hold. What were the chances that Samiya would hold it until the last nanosecond? Fairly good, Blossom guessed.