Kindred Spirits

In the back of the Tension arena, Spider Kikuchi was hanging in the locker room, naked. with her face scrunched in concentration. In one hand, she had her black one-piece leotard with the white web design on it. In the other, she had a red and blue Spider-Man bikini. A little tacky, but it might be what her client would go for.

At any rate, this was the most interesting decision she’d had to make in a while. The first few months of Spider Kikuchi’s AFW career had been, frankly, boring.

Aside from a match against a crazy girl with an Aztec gimmick of all things and a bunch of dark matches against nameless nobodies, there’d been little action for the former ‘Wrestle Angel’. Management seemed keen on keeping her in the background, while they pushed more palatable talent to the masses. From the rumors she was hearing, her spider theme creeped people out.

No taste. No taste at all.

Fewer matches meant less money, and spiders needed to eat, too. Luckily for Spider, she had alternate forms of income. There was no shortage of men out there who were in need of taking some punishment, and no shortage of women who would pay to have it done. Killer King. Jack Hammer. Raiden. Men like them, men who'd angered women in Tension, and had made themselves tempting targets.

She’d put out some feelers, gotten word spreading, and sure enough, she found an interested party. Her target for the day was a fellow AFW wrestler, a guy who'd already made a habit of going beyond the bounds in his matches, practically molesting the women he'd fought. Very deserving - not that Spider would've cared too much if he'd been the nicest guy in the world, but wrecking some poor guy and being morally justified would be a change of pace.

She just needed to decide on an outfit for the evening, something to fit her style. A second opinion would’ve been appreciated...

When Samiya signed up to wrestle for Friction, there had been a small, almost insignificant clause in her contract that mentioned the possibility of being asked to wrestle as part of a Tension match while she was there. She’d noticed it but it certainly hadn’t crossed her mind that, after only two matches in Friction, she could be called down for an evaluation.

Admittedly, those had been two wins and both against more experienced opponents, but Samiya was simply not that excited at the idea of fighting men in what would most likely be a single match. It didn’t fit with what she wanted to do with her Friction tenure. But it was in her contract and, while it might not be her ideal way to spend an evening, part of her couldn’t deny that outpowering some of the jobbers in Tension would be fun.

The evaluation itself had been surprisingly brief. She’d brought her wrestling gear with her in case they’d wanted a demonstration but, apparently, the vetting process was far simpler than she’d thought. At least, Samiya had been surprised until she remembered the Tension wrestler they called King. And then she had been far less so.

Done with the interview, she’d chosen to take a wander through the Tension arena, curious as to what similarities it shared with Friction’s but also the differences. One difference, of course, was the need to segregate the locker rooms. She didn’t go into the men’s, not being interested in provoking a fight, but she did take the opportunity to examine the women’s.

Thoroughly. Dressed in a sleeveless top that displayed her well-muscled arms plus jeans that clung to the thick curves of her lower body, the tattooed submission specialist might not have been dressed as a wrestler but she could really be nothing else.

Half way through her exploration, she paused, blinking.

In fairness to her, even in Friction, finding a naked blonde hanging upside down was… Not something she came across every day.

On the other hand, while it might have caught her off guard, Samiya’s near obsessive habit of being able to recognise any and all of AFW’s wrestlers served her well.

Spider Kikuchi, formerly of the Wrestle Angels and Ring Dream franchises, now of Friction. For a moment, she hesitated, not sure whether she wanted to approach the blonde or slip back out again to continue her silent explorations.

Hanging upside down while she chose her clothes was a little odd for anyone, yes, but Spider had her reasons.

Aside from the simple fact that it amused her to do so, her style of wrestle called for limber bones and deft moves. She’d became adept at controlling her body and working in any position, and that included being upside down. Like her namesake, she could do what she did from every angle, turning the ring into her web and trapping her opponents at every corner.

That was how she saw it in her head, at least. It would’ve been nice to have some real matches to put that into practice.

Whatever the case, that was the mindset Spider was in when she heard the slight creak of the door, followed by the footsteps on the tiled floor, a pitter-patter that came to a sudden stop. Which likely meant the entrant was staring at her.

After a moment, Spider kicked off of the locker she’d attacked herself to and flipped down to the floor, landing with the slight taps of her barefeet. She turned to...whoever this was, and found herself staring at interesting character. Short, short enough that her first thought was to label the woman a kawaii. But she had far too much muscle for that, looked too much like an actual wrestler to be one of those waifs. On top of that, she had tattooes. Many of them, at a glance. She couldn’t imagine a kawaii dealing with that sort of pain, not even for a minute.

”Hm.” The slightest fraction of a smile curved her lips, and Spider craned her head to the side, letting her long hairs cascade over her chest. ”While you’re standing there, you might as well make yourself useful.” She held up her two competing outfits. ”Which is better?” Spider held up a finger, barely after her last sentence. ”Which would look better on me?”

Samiya wasn’t actually staring. She was just rebooting her brain from being confronted with – an admittedly spectacular – set of breasts at her eye level. Between the ‘naked’ and the ‘hanging upside down’, she felt it was a fair reason to be taken aback. And it wasn’t entirely helped when the other woman turned right side up and then proceeded to ask her opinion on the two suits she was considering.

Samiya blinked, caught entirely off-guard and unable to remember the last time anyone had asked her for clothing advice. Intellectually, she knew that she was almost certainly being asked because she’d just happened to be there but still…

She looked first at the outfit in Spider’s left hand. A bikini, done in red and blue with a spider pattern. Comics might not have been her thing but she would have to have lived under a rock not to recognise a distinctly minimalist version of Spider-Man’s costume. That was rather to the point, even for a woman with a gimmick.

On the other hand, on a purely aesthetic level, it would do an excellent job of showing off virtually every inch of the wearer’s body.

Her eyes went to the other hand, to find what she recognised immediately as the other woman’s ring gear. A black leotard with a web design in white – still a bit… direct (though given the morons in the AFW fanbase, Samiya supposed she shouldn’t be surprised) but at least it was Spider’s own.

Pursing her lips, the submission expert shrugged.

”Neither. Both would look amazing on you.” There was a slight clinical remove to her tone, a recognition that Spider had a spectacular figure without personally being attracted to it in the slightest, ”It depends what you want to suggest.”

A finger came up to indicate the bikini.

”That’s somebody else’s suit. It invites comparisons, which you’ll lose because you’re real and he’s a fictional character. The other one’s all you. There’s a bit more mystery. And black is cooler than red and blue. I’d pick that one.”

Analysis delivered, she met the other wrestler’s eyes and waited to see what the Spider had to say in response.

Spider stood there in the buff, waiting and watching the woman while she pondered. She kept her face calm and steady, though she couldn’t shake a couple of odd feelings. First and foremost, she couldn’t shake the odd inclination that she’d seen her before, though for the life of her, she could not remember where. She had a rather unique blend of features, an exotic beauty, the sort of look that she swore she’d made note of before.

On top of that, her reaction was notably more clinical and restrained than Spider would’ve expected from the average AFW wrestler. The candor was appreciated, of course, but Spider couldn’t help but wonder what exactly was going through her mind. She had a feeling it was more than just fashion advice.

Whatever the case, she was glad. She’d stumbled on an interesting one, it seemed.

”Black.” Like the widow. Fitting. Spider gave a slow nod. ”Black it is.” She held up the one piece, contemplating it for a moment, before she nodded and went along with it. She laid the two piece away and began to get dressed, sliding into the leotard with practiced ease.

”Love your ink, by the way.” One foot through, then the other. ”Spider Kikuchi.” She extended her arm, offering a soft handshake.

From what Samiya remembered of the last time she’d been asked for fashion advice, the result had been the other girl taking it and doing the exact opposite. She’d never been one of the fashion conscious crowd. So it was a little reassuring when Spider chose to go with it, whatever the reason.

It also gave her a chance to size up the other woman now that they were closer. Both women favoured submissions but, where the Schoolgirl Assassin was short and stocky with a muscular build, Kikuchi was taller and curvier. Admittedly both were at least part Japanese but, given the AFW operated in Japan, that was not as surprising as it might have been.

And it was that curiosity along with the lack of a dismissal – not that she would have gone but it seemed Spider was as curious about her as she was about the blonde – that kept Samiya loitering for a moment, willing to see where the conversation might go now.

It certainly didn’t seem to be over.

”Thanks,” Samiya accepted the praise as she accepted the proffered handshake with a firm grip, ”Samiya Kusanagi. I’ve watched your match with Eztlicoatl. Nice counter to that straightjacket and great finish.”

She flashed a sharp smirk for a second. It hadn’t been the best match she’d ever watched but she did enjoy watching an expert methodically destroy a limb and then get the submission that way. And the finish wasn’t just another figure four or Boston Crab. No, it’d had style.

”Always nice to see the Alacran performed by an expert.”

Samiya considered what she remembered of the match.

”And on a deserving subject too. What brings you to Tension?”

Like her, she knew that Spider was a Friction wrestler. Alright, that didn't mean she couldn't be doing a Tension match but where did the bikini fit in?

Spider finished slipping into the outfit and stepped towards the nearest body, taking a moment to admire it. The way it clung to her body, accentuating each muscle. The way it contrasted with her pale skin and gave her a haunting appearance. The way it showed off all she intended to show off, yet remained classy in its own way. A subtle nod to the female wrestlers from decades past…

Yes, she liked it. So much so that, if Samiya hadn’t said something interesting, she might’ve became distracted by her own reflection. But the words that came from the mouth of her new were enough to transfork Spider’s curiosity into full blown attention.

”Samiya Kusanagi.” The last name interested her more than the first, and the inflection in her voice did nothing to hide it. She remembered another noteworthy wrestler with that last name, though it could’ve been pure coincidence. Hardly an uncommon name, and there were more interesting things going on, here.

”You saw that, did you?” Spider kept her expression calm and dispassionate, but she was genuinely surprised that Samiya watched that match and was even familiar with the move. It hadn’t been the most advertised match - not that she didn’t deserve such attention, but the producers thought differently. ”I do enjoy the move, yes. So much harder to escape than the Crab. Nigh impossible. But it’s always a treat to watch them try.”

She moved over to her gym bag and pulled out a small case from the side, popping it open to reveal the contacts inside. She opened her eye wide and started putting in her purple contacts with ease. She’d done it a thousand times, after all. At least.

”I’m here on business. Side business, not directly related to the AFW.” She popped one contact in. ”There's a man around here who's angered some of the wrong women. One of who is paying me to have an intervention of sorts with him, make it clear just how unappreciated his actions have been.”

Spider popped in the other one, then stepped back and blinked a few times, getting it settled in. When it was over, she looked down on Samiya with her violet eyes, seeming to glow in the shadows of her hair. ”He's here, working out in the gym. Scrawny little twerp, but it should be amusing to twist him around a bit.”

Samiya had heard that note before in wrestlers’ voices. At first it was when they found out whose daughter she was. And then, after she took the name for herself, it was when she introduced herself. There was that emphasis, subtle or blatant, and it never failed to bring her shoulders back and stiffen her spine with pride.

It did exactly that now, her chin coming up – although that might be viewed less as a display of pride and more defensive in nature. Regardless, Spider said nothing more on the topic and she herself felt little need to go further down that route. They had more interesting things to talk about, that was for sure.

Certainly, they seemed to share a similar philosophy on submission holds. While the Alacran was not one of Samiya’s preferred tools, she knew how to apply it and certainly could see how an expert in the hold could make it inescapable.

”And when they realise they can’t escape,” She added softly, watching the blonde going about getting ready.

Business?

Samiya arched her eyebrows at that, particularly as Spider went on to explain that it wasn’t AFW related. About to note that they were in an AFW building and she was wearing her AFW gear, she paused to listen to the rest of the explanation. It was- Well, thinking about it, it shouldn’t have been surprising even if it had caught her off-guard.

It certainly explained the swimsuit question. And Spider was a very attractive woman with a very specific set of skills – it made sense that, if she needed money, she’d want to market those.

Blinking slowly, the tattooed wrestler processed all that.

Then…

”AFW lets you bring people in here to wrestle?”

That didn’t sound right to her, not with the paperwork they’d had to sign about liability and so on. If a wrestler got injured, they had precious little ability to sue but a fan?

That could end badly. Very badly for the fan, that was.

Particularly given the way Spider was talking.

The name - ‘Kusanagi - stuck in the web of Spider’s mind, but she resolved to think more on it later. Whatever the case, it had little bearing on their conversation, and she wouldn’t have cared all that much even if it did. The reaction was interesting, but she got the distinct impression they would explore that more later. If there was a later.

Samiya’s reaction to Spider’s reason for being here wasn’t unexpected - it was the typical reaction she received, the reaction she would’ve had about hearing it for the first time. Certainly unorthodox, but practical, in her eyes. She had the name, the recognition, and the authenticity to stand out from others in the field. Why not use it for a lucrative venture?

Still, Samiya had a point, or was getting at one with her question.

”My target is a wrestler on the payroll, so things are kosher on that front.” She freshened up with a few quick spurts of body spray, making sure she was presentable all over, nice and clean. ”Though, really, calling him a wrestler in the real sense of the word might be an overstatement. As near as I can tell, he’s another one of the weakling men they so love to hire over here. Weak, worthless little men who come to do things to women in the ring that would get them arrested outside of it.”

As usual, Spider didn’t bother to hide the disdain in her voice, letting her contempt for the concept shine through. While it was true that she herself had been known to get a bit intimate with her targets, she never quite took it to the loathsome levels this man did. At least, not so blatantly.

”Disgusting man, but I can stand to touch him long enough to bend his body into a few unnatural shapes. On top of that, it's training. It’s hard enough to find willing sparring partners, much less ones that I can tear into without fear of repercussions.”

That made sense. Well, it made sense in one respect, though it also made absolutely no sense in another. Samiya wasn’t about to waste time asking Spider to explain it but the idea of a Tension wrestler paying someone to dominate him was… Wasn’t that basically what they got paid to do on a regular basis anyway?

Sure, she could understand the desire to wrestle someone specific perhaps but the entire wrestling world operated on the basis of blood feuds anyway – why not just call Spider out and have her demolish him for free? Even if he was thinking with his genitals and not his brain, surely that wasn’t too difficult. It wasn’t as if it’d even be that much more humiliating for him, judging by how half Tension’s matches seemed to turn out.

Sometimes, she really did feel that she was surrounded by idiots, clichéd as it might be.

”You mean like half the Friction roster,” Samiya pointed out archly, taking a seat – if she was going to be here for a while, she might as well be comfortable, ”Either weak as a kitten, not able to fight their way out of a paper bag or both. I’d be curious to know though – do they hire pushovers because they love to hire them or because those are the only applicants they get?”

She didn’t expect Spider to have an answer, really. It was more just idle musing. She was at something of a loose end here now, after all.

”I’ll spar with you sometime,” She offered with a shrug, before allowing herself a wicked little grin, ”Though I’m not paying you.”

Not when it would benefit Spider as much as Samiya, but she’d always be more than happy to take on another submission specialist. It was good for her skills; kept them razor sharp. And Spider looked like she’d have some tricks to show her into the bargain.