Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

Whispers were spreading through the halls of Tension, passing from mouth to mouth to mouth, spreading through the stagehands.

”Is that him? Really him?”

A man was walking through the halls - not an unusual sight, of course, particularly at Tension HQ. But the identity of this man was what turned heads and got the gossip.

”He’s here? Why, are we doing a tie-in?”

The man was lean, not too tall, but built like a rock. Covered in hard muscle that could be quite easily seen thanks to the attire he was wearing. Rippling, rigid arms came out of his white sleeveless t-shirt. Powerful calves were clearly on display with his black trunks. He moved through the halls with his hands in his pockets, a smirk on his face, and his eyes focused forward, as if he didn’t notice any of the reactions he was getting.

He did notice. But if show business had taught him anything, it was that perception mattered.

”Prayuth? We put friggin’ Prayuth on the roster?”

That was right. Prayuth Sakda - star of such international martial arts hits as ‘Raging Fury’, ‘Fist of the Titan’, and ‘Hong Kong Fury’ - had joined up with the AFW, a move that put an end to rumor mills across the Twitterverse. He’d already done an Instagram photo outside to make it official, and now he was making sure to take the long way around the building, ensuring there would plenty of ‘secret’ photos of him making their way through the internet. He could hardly wait to get back out and see how he was trending now.

Increase his popularity, while also being paid to wrestle around with hot women, while making a tidy sum? Yes, please.

That being said, there were certain parts of it he wasn’t looking forward to, chief among them being the routine stuff. He wasn’t here today to sign up for some tournament or rub shoulders with the world champion. No, he was just here for a checkup. A boring, routine checkup, a last minute thing to clear before he was good for in-ring action. Tedious. Annoying. Came with the job.

Prayuth ran his fingers through his fine blond hair as he finally came to the Tension nurse’s office. He had a little pause - honestly, he’d never been crazy about these sorts of places, even when he needed to be in them for whatever reason. Too sterile for his liking. Too clean. And, God, he wasn’t in the mood to have a needle stuck in him today.

“In and out, in and out.” Prayuth had a quick sigh, then knocked on the door and opened it a second later, slipping his head into the room. “Yo?”

The place was certainly in a buzz today. But while just about everyone was whispering to each other or blurting out their thoughts, one person seemed to be completely oblivious to it all.

Within the nurse’s office, a lone woman sat by a computer and hummed a little tune while her fingers swiftly typed away. Her hair was tied into a long braid that hang down over her torso. She wore a black kimono, with a white gown over top of it. Very modest clothing that concealed much of her figure. Rizu Umeda was deeply focused on catching up on some paperwork that she’d been unable to attend to recently. Why? Because over the last couple weeks the nurse had been settling her divorce. She had only returned to work a day ago.

Rizu was close with everyone she worked with, all of whom had offered their sympathy. To the surprise of many of them, she hadn’t even appeared remotely sad about the whole ordeal. Some assumed she was trying to be strong to avoid showing her pain in front of everyone. But the truth was, Rizu was genuinely happy. She was passionate about her job, and glad to be able to get back to it. And today she would have her first patient in far too long. And when his voice reached her ears, the nurse smiled and looked his way, then stood to greet him.

“Hello there! You must be my two o’clock, yes? Please come right in and have a seat over there,” she said, motioning a hand over to the nearby examination table. Then while he made himself comfortable, Rizu would move to grab a clipboard off of the desk, which had all his paperwork on it.

“So, you want to be a wrestler for Tension. Well then, we’ll try to get through this as quick as we can so you can get in the ring, Mr...Sakda?” she said, glancing down at his information. Though there was something about the name that rang a bell with Rizu, like she’d heard it before. A look up at his face, and once again there was that feeling of familiarity. “Hmm.......” she tilted her head and thought while she looked at him, trying to piece the puzzle together.

And then it finally hit her.

“Oh, I remember! You were in that Hong Kong martial arts movie!” she said jovially, clapping her hands together as the realization struck. Rizu wasn’t exactly a film buff, but she did watch a lot of TV, and had happened to catch Hong Kong Fury once. Most critics had faulted the movie on its cheesy effects and unrealistic action sequences. But none of that had stopped Rizu from having a blast watching it.

“Wow, this is a pleasant surprise! What made you want to come into wrestling, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Having been in his fair share of hospitals - one of the many downsides of doing his own stunts - Prayuth had some extensive experience with medical staff. Still, he wasn't quite sure what to expect when he opened the door. He knew Japan, and Tension in particular, could be a rather odd place. He'd heard the stories of strange happenings in the backstage area. Ambushes. Kidnappings. Sex, of the surprise nature, which would not have been unwelcome.

Instead, he found a girl when he opened the door. Or, really, a woman. She had pretty, soft features, gentle and soothing, with long, black hair that cut in her glowing figure. Older, but not aged enough to make her beauty wane.The kimono struck him as odd attire for the profession, but if that was as eccentric as she got in the AFW, he'd consider himself lucky. She wasn't some axe-crazy battle nurse, that was a good start.

Prayuth held his hand to his mouth, conducting a quick breath test and making sure everything was suitably minty, in case the two of them had an up close encounter. He made his way over to the seat, sat down, crossed his legs, and waited for ‘the moment’.

He didn't have to wait long before ‘the moment’ happened. The moment where a woman realized who she was talking to, that smile came to her, and Prayuth suddenly found so many great opportunities opening up to him.

”Guilty as charged.” Prayuth held up his hands, feigning an innocent look as best as he could. ”Prayuth Sakda, one and only. Just looking to expand a bit, try out new things, get to know some interesting people - present company hopefully included.”

He gave her a sly wink, then extended his hand for a shake. ”Nice meeting you. Your name?”

The nurse moved a hand over her mouth and giggled. She hadn’t met an actor before, and not only was this one quite handsome, but he seemed to be flirting with her. And the fact that she wasn’t entirely sure if he was serious or just being playful and friendly was a healthy sign of restraint. More than a few had found her attractive and made it known through less respectable methods, to put it simply.

She took hold of the extended hand and shook it, while also bowing politely. “Rizu Umeda. The pleasure is mine, Sakda-san,” she replied with a smile as bright and friendly as her voice.

Rizu had always heard that actors tended to be jerks, but thus far Prayuth seemed to either be evidence to the contrary, or just a rare exception. Either way was perfectly alright with her.

“I can assure you you’ll have all the opportunity in the world to try things you’ve never done, and meet all sorts of unique people here.” Granted, some of those “things” included some of the most brutal kinds of matches known to man. And some of those “people” could range anywhere from the Brat Pack to Killer King. But there was no sense in going into all of that. He’d find out soon enough what it was like here in Tension.

Then she came to another realization. Since Prayuth was famous already, at least on some level, there was a good chance he was a busy man. Autograph signings, interviews, and everything else. If that was the case, she probably shouldn’t hold him up too long. “Well then, lets get this done, shall we? I’ll try not to hold you up too long,” she said, then opened a drawer and pulled a stethoscope from it. After setting the ear pieces in place, she moved toward Prayuth.

“This might be a little cold at first,” she said, then went to slide the small metal plate at the end of the cord under his shirt to press it against his toned, muscular chest - a detail that certainly didn’t escape Rizu’s attention at all. “Now take a few big breaths for me, please.”

Ah, he liked that giggle of hers. Kind of childish, but not annoyingly high-pitched. Her laugh was almost like a song. Pleasing to the ears.

”Rizu Umeda.” Prayuth gingerly shook Rizu’s hand, holding it like it was a delicate treasure, as he put his best Japanese impression into saying her name. He’d been told it was good, at least, and he’d had to use it quite a few times in his roles. A requirement if he wanted to get the most out of his ‘general Asian’ type of look.

”That’s a nice name, rolls off the tongue. And please, call me Pray. Simple and short.” He took a moment to look her over more closely, getting more and more curious about what that kimono was hiding. He averted his gaze by the time she looked back his way, though, keeping things sly.

”No rush on my account.” Prayuth sighed, wistful with a touch of depression mixed in. ”Still settling into Japan, don’t have any plans for the night.”

With those subtle seeds planted, Prayuth leaned back as Rizu came in with the stethoscope. He shivered at the touch - at first. But he quickly calmed down. He even lifted up his shirt, revealing his hardened chest and chiseled abs, honed from countless hours of rigorous training.

Just to make it easier for Rizu, of course. Not showing off or anything.

Prayuth took deep, powerful breaths, sucking in and blowing out with a strong set of lungs. Everything should’ve sounded clear and clean. Despite what people thought, he actually kept a mostly drug free life, aside from dabbling a bit at the occasional party. Even then, nothing too heavy.

Rizu Umeda was many things, but a fool was not one of them. She’d been around men long enough to pick up on their subtleties, mostly because they’re so rarely subtle that it stands out rather obviously when they try to be. Ironic, really. But between all the compliments he was showering her with, the gentle nature with which he greeted her, and the fact that he pointed out his open schedule, it was all rather clear.

Pray wasn’t just being polite to her to try to make a good impression with the company. He was hitting on her.

As if to confirm her observation, he raised his shirt up to give her a look at his rock hard abs. Her warm smile widened slightly, and as she moved the stethoscope from one spot around to the next, she also held her hand against his body to feel those toned muscles, and let her fingertips ever so lightly trace along their path to the next spot her stethoscope arrived at. She quickly determined there were no irregularities in his breathing or heartbeats. Then her mind returned to his abs as thoughts and ideas began coming to her head…

“Oh my, you must work out quite a bit, Pray-san,” she said sweetly, letting her eyes briefly scan over the rest of his highly toned frame. Really it went without saying. But flattery with people like this tended to go a long way.

“It’s nice to have such an open schedule, isn’t it?” she said, walking back to her desk to scribble a few small notes down on her clipboard. “My evening’s looking rather uneventful too at the moment. You’re more than welcome to join me for tea. Then again, I wouldn’t want to bore you too much on your first night in Kyoto.” Another soft giggle left her lips, and for a moment she skimmed over her clipboard as if she was checking for something, though really she was just letting her comment hang in the air to give Pray time to respond to the subtle test Rizu had placed before him.

Prayuth wasn’t exactly a full-time sort of player - his schedule was too demanding for it, really. But he was around women enough to know when he was making some leeway with them, when they liked what was being offered and when they were interested in something more. This sense hadn’t failed him yet, and he had a good feeling that today would not be the day.

By some miracle, he managed to keep his smirk from going too wide and goofy, keeping a calm, accepting look instead. Acting classes paid dividends.

Case in point: This was getting personal at a rate that even Prayuth hadn’t expected. Inviting a man you’d just met over for tea seemed a bit quick, but maybe that was just their way on this island. They did seem more polite overall than his homeland.

”Oh, I love tea.” Said the man who’d never drank a full glass of the stuff in his entire life. He took his time letting his shirt slide down, making sure his abs were on display as long as possible without being too obvious. ”That’d be awesome. Honestly, a quiet night’s exactly what I need - I’ve been zipping around the city so much, it’ll be nice to kick back and relax.”

That wasn’t wholly untrue, really. If Rizu had been a man instead of lovely woman, he might have still taken up the offer. Just not for all of the same reasons.

It was time to put out a few feelers, though. ”Wouldn’t want to intrude too much, though - would your partner mind?”

One thing Pray had yet to learn about Rizu was that she regularly offered to treat patients to tea at her place, so long as they were respectful and kind enough to her. Most politely turned her down because they were busy. But this was different. Partially because she was curious about the extent of Pray’s apparent infatuation with her. Though, that wasn’t the only thought running around in that pretty head of hers…

When Pray asked about her “partner,” Rizu paused for a moment and looked up from her clipboard at the actor-turned-wrestler. “Had you asked a few weeks ago, that might have been an issue. My husband and I recently divorced,” she answered. One might think such a topic to be a sensitive one. But there was no sign of pain in the nurse’s voice or expression.

“Sorry, I suppose it would’ve been simpler just to say your presence wouldn’t bother anyone, ne?” She giggled, then set her clipboard down and went to grab the sphygmomanometer. All that was left in Pray’s checkup was to check his blood pressure, so she went to stand by him and wrapped the leather cuff around his large bicep, though not before running a hand over it first.

“Almost done here,” she said, then began to squeeze a pump to inflate the cuff like a balloon. The larger it grew, the tighter it squeezed, and the process was repeated until it was tight enough to stop the flow of blood. All the while, Rizu observed the arm intently each time the pressure intensified. There wasn’t anything particularly special about it, but something about it fascinated her. At first glance, it probably just looked like she was admiring his toned frame.

“I hope the news of my divorce doesn’t change your mind. It has been rather lonely at home lately. I could certainly use the company,” Rizu said with the sweetest of smiles.

Oh, boy. Prayuth had just stepped into a bit of a minefield, he could feel it.

The second Rizu mentioned the recent divorce, a chill went over him. Sure, he kept cool on the outside, save for a quick bout of rapid blinking. All smiles and gentle looks, gladly giving her full access to his arm to do her work. Inwardly, though, things were more complicated.

As a general rule, he liked to stay away from women who were freshly broken up, doubly so if they were divorced. The last couple of times, the women he’d hooked up with hadn’t been quite as separated as they’d led him to believe. It got messy, and not in a fun way.

But, on the other hand, Rizu seemed honest and kind enough, so he doubted she was holding much back. She seemed way to at peace with it to be a lie. Though, for the life of him, he couldn’t imagine what sort of guy would split with Rizu.

Whatever. His loss, Prayuth’s gain. Besides, going by the way she was looking at his biceps - biceps he made sure to flex for her - she might be interested in more than just tea.

”Doesn’t change my mind in the least.” He shook his head and leaned back, easing into the seat with a wide smile. Rizu had an unspeakable way of brightening the room. ”What the lady wants, the lady gets. I’ll gladly give you all the company you could want.”

Little corny with that last line, he could admit, but Prayuth sold it.

A hand delicately raised itself over her lips as she sheepishly giggled again. “My, what a gentleman,” she said. Cheesy as Pray’s words had sounded, Rizu was genuinely happy to hear that he wanted to spend time with her. Of course she knew what that entailed in the long run, at least in Pray’s mind. But that was a bridge she was willing to wait to cross for now.

Unstrapping the leather cuff from around Pray’s arm, she put the device away and went back to make a few more quick scribbles on his file, then turned back to him with a smile once again.

“Alright then, everything seems to be in order. Consider yourself officially cleared to compete. I’ll look forward to seeing your matches,” Rizu said, then started to walk toward the door to let him out, only to stop when a sudden thought entered her head.

“Oh! I almost forgot…” The nurse scurried back over to her desk and wrote something down on a small piece of paper, then walked back over to Pray and handed it to him. “I suppose it would hardly make sense to invite you for tea and not even let you now how to get there,” she said. On the paper was her address. It was probably listed in the company directory somewhere anyway, but a precaution like this never hurt.