Dire Straits

It was more than a little silly, but Kaede couldn't resist the urge to giggle in triumph as bolted for the door at top speed, her sneakers skidding across the floor. She was a little disappointed that her kick didn't work - was really looking forward to seeing that look in the bitch’s face - but aside from that she thought she was in the clear...until she heard the pitter-patter of heavy, pissed off feet closing in on.

She looked over shoulder, and sure enough, the blonde was coming after with hell in her eyes, the sort of fury that Kaede had only seen in one other person before. That was the look of a woman who wanted to break her clean in half, and she wanted absolutely none of it.

It spurred her rush along, made her move that much faster. Just a little more, almost there, so close, grab the door handle and-

Tits.

That was the first thing that register in Kaede’s mind when the door opened to show someone on the other side of it. Other features of the woman came in soon after: her blue eyes, brown hair, Coke-bottle figure. But she barely could focus on them over those, big, bulging breasts.

She was hot. She was also, sadly, in Kaede’s way. ”Move!” She shot her arm out with a stiff palm strike, looking to catch this newcomer in the face and keep moving, and hoping she wouldn't waste too much time by doing so. Not when the blonde was beating down on her from behind.

This was a bad day for her, to say the least. Fumika Hua was running behind schedule. The cashier had given her lip, someone dinged her car on the way back, and now she had managed to spill a few of the groceries on the way up. The lettuce was ruined and some of the eggs were definitely cracked. This was the worst. Not to mention the amount of groceries she was carrying was beyond reasonable. But Fumika loathed taking more than one trip back to the car, and she’d be damned if she was starting today. That’s what made it worse, that there was nobody to blame but herself. Her brow furrowed as she fished for the key. A scowl started to form on her face when she heard the tumbling going around inside the apartment.

Fumika placed her head against the door and listened, feeling the vibrations. Those delays had turned out to be somewhat of a blessing in disguise. Inside she could hear the rumblings. Some serious commotion was going on. Of course, something heavy was always going on when Manami and Yuki were alone together. But this was a little different. Violent. Desperate. She could feel it through the door. Murderous intent. The question was, from who?

Then she heard someone coming her way, felt it in the vibrations. Time to make friends. Quickly, she threw the lock and opened the door to see the young girl running towards her, and the exit more importantly. Her mannerisms were still and a soft smile grew on her face. Given the situation, she almost seemed soulless. But really, it was anything but. Her eyes quickly read the thug’s movements, and by the time she realized what was happening, the palm was already flying towards her face. It was sweaty and frail, but she remained calm and collected when it met her skin.

It was nice to finally have something to take her frustration out on. This would require some explanation eventually. For now, however, she was content with the target speeding so eagerly toward her. So, turning her face slightly and taking the brunt of Kaede’s palm, she’d lift her leg and send a firm strike into her, the muscles on her powerful thighs revealing themselves through the tight fabric of her jeans. It was sudden, yet strong movement that would send the girl flying back and get that damn hand out of her face.

Yuki was sure to be surprised by this, but not long enough to let this chance slip before catching her in a full nelson. The two had always been in perfect sync with one another, but this was taking it to new heights. This punk chose the wrong day and wrong time to pop in for a visit.

The next few moments were a confusing blur for Kaede Komatsuzaki. She understood how it began - with her throwing a palm strike at the busty, smiling beauty in the doorway. And she understood how it ended  - with her getting wrapped up in a tight Full Nelson from the ballistic blonde behind her. But everything else was a confusing mess.

Her blow had connected, she was sure of that much. A nice, clean blow, right on the woman’s pretty face. After that, things should've been clear sailing - just run down the stairs, out of the building, and live to fuck up Manami’s shit in some other way on a better day. Preferably after  a lot of scouting.

But, only a scant second after she connected with her palm, a strange thing happened. Something hard and strong came crashing into her stomach with serious force, and Kaede wasn’t sure what it was. She wanted to think it was a kick, but that seemed impossible - from that angle, with that speed, who could launch a kick with that much power, especially when she hadn’t even seen her coming?

It didn’t make sense, but not believing it didn’t stop it from happening. She was launched back, the blonde caught her under her shoulders, and that brought them to the present moment, with Kaede kicking and squirming and fighting to get free of the taller woman’s iron grip, twisting left and right and left again.

”-fuck off me, get the fuck off me!” Her arms flailed about, useless as they were, trying in vain to wrench herself free. ”Who the fuck are you two?” A very good question. It was hard enough to believe Manami had one friend, but two?

“Don’t you think we should be the one asking that question?”

Fumika let her leg fall back into line before she stepped into the apartment, closing the door behind her with a quick kick of her foot. She set the grocery bags down at her feet, practically forgetting their very existence as she took a few steps towards the restrained thug. Her eyes scanned up and down her body, trying to find even a scrap of some identity for this girl, before stopping at her cast. She could just make it out through the sleeve of her hoodie. The brown-haired woman’s eyes widened for a second, seemingly out of surprise, before narrowing slightly and gliding her pupils back up to take in the young girl’s scowl.

Yuki caught the smile that was brimming on her face. It seemed innocent and warm at a first glance, but she had been around this woman enough to know that there was always something hidden behind that beautiful face. The hidden malice tucked between the crooks of that terrifying grin. Something bad was in store for their uninvited guest.

“Well, since you asked so politely.” She placed a hand over her bountiful chest, meeting Kaede with a greeting smile. “I am Fumika Hua. Manami Kuroda’s left hand. A pleasure to meet you.” The blonde locked eyes with Fumika, initially out of surprise that she was complying so readily, but reluctantly agreed after being given a reassuring nod.

“Yuki.” She stalled for a second, giving Fumika a double take. “Yuki Kitashima. The Wolf Mother’s right claw.”

Fumika took a moment to look over the girl, giving her head a slight crook. She was angry, but anyway could see the fear in her eyes. An animal caught in a trap, giving it its last desperate howls before the teeth sunk in and snuffed out its fire for good. The blue-eyed beauty took a few steps closer toward her, nearly brushing the tips of their brown strands together.

“And I would ask for your name, but I don’t think that’ll be necessary.” She lifted the girl’s chin and forced their gazes to meet, her cerulean orbs giving a faint luminescence in the dying light of the storm clouds. A flash of lightning struck the Earth just before she uttered her next words. Perfect timing.

“Right? Komatzusaki-san?”

Okay, Kaede would twist a little here, dip down, then pull herself free, and...no, that wasn’t happening.

Maybe if she kicked her legs, she could pull this woman over her back and send her flying, like in that one move...no, that wasn’t happening, either. Kaede didn’t have the weight to make that work, if it was possible in the first place.

So, maybe if she lifted up, then slid down really quick, she could just pop herself free...nope. ”Damn it!”

She spat and cursed and kicked in the blonde’s grasp, did everything she could think to do, but it wasn’t happening. The Full Nelson was an effective hold when a wimp was using it, and this woman was far from that. With her upper body strength, there was no give, no release, no anything for Kaede to take advantage of. She was stuck. Plain and simple.

Learning who these women were didn’t help ease her panic, either. She didn’t recognize the names as anyone important, and they probably hadn’t had a match in Friction yet. What stood out to her the most, though, was the titles they went by. ‘Left hand’. ‘Right claw’. ‘Wolf Mother’. She was getting some weird, culty vibes here, and it was starting to dawn on her that these two might’ve been a bit on the crazy side. Maybe not the same crazy that Manami was, but crazy all the same.

And she really didn’t like the way the Fumiko was looking at her. And smiling. And getting far too deep into her personal space. And the way she seemed to know exactly who she was.

Kaede gritted her teeth hard at the mention of her name, not even bothering to deny it. The cast was a pretty dead giveaway, and even if that failed, her wallet would’ve given it away. So she was trapped with two strange women, women who were, at the least, Manami’s friends, in her apartment, with them both knowing full well the relationship Kaede had with her. Not good. At all.

But that didn’t mean she was going out quietly. Never that. ”Yeah?” She spat in Fumiko’s face, then went right back to her struggling. ”So what? What’re you gonna do about it, huh?”

That was a mistake. A big fucking mistake.

Yuki’s eyes shot open as Fumika recoiled from the shot to her face. Quickly unwrapping the Full Nelson, she’d throw Kaede into the adjacent wall before slamming her head against it with a strike of her palm, making a distinct hole in the plaster. Holding her there, she’d unleash a furious, relentless series of a punches into the punk’s stomach and chest. If she broke her ribs, that was a bonus. This brat was crazy to think she was getting away with that. She was going to be lucky to leave her alive as far as Yuki was concerned.

Fumika slowly sauntered over to the kitchenette, grabbing a couple paper towels and wiping the saliva off her face. Having that done, she’d grab another and dampen it for a few seconds. Once it was nice and soaked, she’d put a few dabs over the surface, and slowly move outward to encircle the whole have of her face with the clean cloth. All the while, the walls would shake with every strike as the blonde bruiser continued to dig into Kaede’s trapped form. Hopefully the neighbors didn’t mind all that much.

Sauntering back over and grabbing the groceries, Fumika would walk behind Yuki before stopping to look at the two. With a sigh, she’d figured the girl had learned enough from this lesson to be deterred at the very least.

“It’s alright, Yuki. You don’t want to give her any internal injuries. We don’t have funds to spare on a hospital run.”

“True.” She let up, but not before digging one more good, sudden strike into the girl’s gut. “Feels good though. Wanna go a couple rounds? She’s still a little fresh.” She crooked her palm into under Kaede’s jaw, making her neck a bit more exposed.

Fumika chuckled. It was tempting, but professionalism came first. “Let’s not. Just bring her over to the couch.”

“Roger.”

With that, Yuki latch onto the trespasser's neck and lifted her over her shoulders in a fireman’s carry. She'd bring the incapacitated girl over to the couch before plopping her down on the couch as Fumika set the grocery bags behind the counter. With that done, she'd walk over to Kaede, with Yuki standing to the side with arms crossed.

“Now. Would you like to let us in on why you’ve let yourself into our home? Don’t be afraid to speak openly about your intentions. We’re aware of how cruel Manami can, and how deep those grudges can run. How much they sting and can force you to lash out. But I’ll forgive you. Just answer honestly, and nobody here will hurt you.” Fumika would kneel down, giving Kaede a gentle caress against her cheek, wanting to relieve some of the tension. “I promise. Okay? Please?”

Somewhere in the back of her head, Kaede probably realized that spitting in Fumika’s face wasn’t the best idea, that it would almost certainly have some kind of cost. She knew less about these women than she did Manami, but if they were anything at all like her, they weren’t the sort to let something like spit in the face go unpunished. Kaede hadn’t been thinking too hard when she did it, though, and she’d figured the consequences wouldn’t be too bad.

She was right and she was wrong. Right that there would be a price to pay, wrong at her being able to afford it.

Yuki tossed her about like a ragdoll, throwing her hard into the nearest wall. What followed was the most painful minute of her life since, well...since Manami. She was suddenly able to emphasize with a punching bag, as Yuki hammered her over and over again with blow after blow, each other land with precise, hardened fury. Kaede tried to raise her arms to fend off a blow or two, but she couldn’t see with the way Yuki held her, and those efforts became truly futile.

By the end of the beating, she was coughing and gagging and thrashing about in Yuki’s hold, with the resistance beaten out of her - at least for the moment. She certainly didn’t have the energy to fight as she was hoisted up with ease, carried across the room, and unceremoniously dumped on the couch. Kaede hit it hard, bouncing up with her limbs flopping about, only to come to a rest as she laid there. Shivering. Groaning. Barely moving.

She was still breathing hard when Fumika came over to speak with her, talking in calming tones. Her first reflex was to flinch away from the woman’s caress, but there was something comforting about, something serene. She wasn’t like Yuki and Manami, that much was clear - there was an actual human aspect to her, something Kaede could identify. It wasn’t much, but it was starting to become rapidly clear that, if she wanted to leave this apartment in one piece, Fumika was her only advocate.

”I…” She hissed as she rubbed her side, then eased up. ”Manami tore me up a few weeks ago. Just wanted to come here and mess up her stuff, that was all…” She gave a cautious glance towards Yuki. ”Didn’t expect anyone to be here. Didn’t think…”’

Kaede bit her lip, not knowing what else to say. They’d probably call the cops, she was guessing - breaking and entering wouldn’t be a highlight on her record, that was for sure. ”...sorry.” She sighed. Might as well go all the way. Squeeze out as much sympathy as possible.

A small, concerned expression appeared on Fumika’s face as Kaede gave her brief, if somewhat breathless explanation.

“So really, you have a death wish.”

“Yuki.” Fumika let her eyes drift to the side in partial acknowledgement before returning to Kaede. She heard the regret in her voice. It was either from the pain or a genuine reflection on her situation. Either way, it was something she could use. “Could you go get her some tea? For her stomach?”

“Are you fucking-” She flinched a little when Fumika whipper her head around, giving her a fierce scowl. “Fine.” She unfolded her arms and turned back to walk back to the kitchenette.

“And don't spit in it! That's gross!”

“I’d never.” Yuki said, her lower half disappearing behind the counter.

As she fussed around, trying to remember where she put the cup, Yuki sneaked a look back at the coach, admiring the woman’s work. A wolf carries a honeyed tongue, as well as sharpened claws. In comparison to the rest of them, Fumika was in a league of her own. The woman could have been a kabuki actress in any other life. Her eyes did all the talking, yet her words were what put her over the top. It was difficult to tell whether she was being deceptive or genuine even to her teammates. It was a wonder to watch her dig the foundation out from underneath someone. And once the attack commenced, and the walls crumbled, mercy would be the last thing on her mind. She was unpredictable, yet there wasn’t a person alive who could resist being caught in that trap. Even long after the steel bars closed in around them. Those blue eyes pulled and tugged at your very soul, and you couldn’t help but love every second of it.

“Which does she want? I’ve got honey or peppermint.”

Fumika would look at Kaede, awaiting an answer. Whatever answer the girl gave her, Yuki would have it prepared and brought over to her on a thin plate, handing it to Fumika. She’d then head back to the kitchen to unload a few of the bags. Let the tension out of the air a bit. The blue-eyed beauty would take it and hand it to their guest, letting her have a sip before setting it back down on the table. She put her soft smile back before facing her once more.

“You’re very pretty, you know. And brave. You’re too good to be going around breaking into other people’s homes like this. I’ve seen more than a few of your matches. You have a strong heart, Kaede. I can tell.” She brought her hand down to the girl’s, entwining her fingers gently in her palm. She let her eyes drift down to their soft lock, letting their warmth share for a moment. The sound of falling rain and Yuki moving around in the back filled the apartment for a few seconds before she brought her gaze back up. “And I’m sure you meant well enough trying to get even like this. Not a lot of people could blame you.”

With that, she'd let go of her fingers before placing both hands softly atop Kaede’s hand. She’d look up at the seated brawler as if she were making a plea.

“We’ll keep this...incident private. No one has to find out. But you understand that we can’t just let you leave like this, right?”

Kaede had to admit - when she woke up this morning and started on her plan, this was so not the way she'd seen things going.

All of the sudden, it felt like the entire tone of things changed. Her body still ached from the beatdown Yuki had laid down on her, of course, but aside from that, everything felt...pleasant? Pleasant. The blonde, Kaede was having an easy time seeing how she and Manami could get along, they'd be peas in the same pod. Fumika, though, seemed as different as someone could be from the Wolf Girl without being a man.

”Oh, uh…” Kaede paused and shook her head, snapping out of her funk as best she could. It wasn't the easiest thing, relaxing in this situation. Especially when Yuki seemed hellbent on beating her into a little red smear. ”Peppermint is fine. Peppermint.”

Truth was, she hated tea, but she knew better than to be fussy  right now. When Yuki brought the cup over, she did a quick check for phlegm and eagerly sipped it. Fumika’s touch, her sweet words, the rain outside...it was all comforting. Confusing, yes, but considering how this had all started, she couldn't help but stop trying to make sense of it. Kaede felt truly safe.

Right until the very end.

Her brows furrowed with those last words, as she fully processed when Fumika had just said. It didn't seem like they were calling the police which was great, but it didn't seem like she could just leave, either. Fumika had said she wouldn't hurt her, so what did that leave?

”But…”  Hesitation returned to her to voice, as she fasted a nervous look between them. ”What do you mean? What do you want me to do?”

“Join us, in short.”

Yuki could already feel the protests coming, and she was having none of it. This girl could play the victim all she wants. She could listen to Fumika’s sweet words until the sun rose. But it’d never change the fact that, when all was said and done, she’d broken into their home. She had to pay for that.

“Consider yourself lucky, kid. If you’d ran into the Mother, you’d be drinking that tea with a chain around your neck. And probably through a funnel.”

Fumika would have put that a bit more smoothly, but the general idea had come across. There wasn’t much time to argue about this. If they were going to have enough time to do what they intended, the message had to be clear. Furthermore, this girl had to be on board.

“She’s being honest, Kaede. What do you think would happen if we just let you leave? Once Manami finds out? You wouldn’t be the only one in trouble, but you’d be at the center of it. She’d come after you. She’d track you just like you tracked her.” She drew closer to the girl’s face, putting more and more emphasis with every word. “You stepped into her den, Kaede, and you got caught. If you leave now, hell is coming with you. It’ll be a hunt with no end in sight. Nowhere to run.” She pulled back and gave a faint smile. “Don’t worry though. It’s simple.”

“Consider it a test. I’ll test your fitness. Fumika will test your...mental fortitude, let's call it. Pass, you can leave and we’ll make you a temporary gig. Fail, and I’ll make that cast a full-body one before I send you on your way.”

Yuki cracked her knuckles as she walked over to the couch. This girl was going to need a bit of motivation. She sized her up a bit before narrowing her eyes, thinking about the routines they could go through.

“Don’t suppose you could do weighted dips on that arm, huh?”

The obvious answer was no. But she wasn’t deterred. This girl was stubborn, but she just needed to be whipped into shape. Plus, she looked light. Might be able to rough her up a bit for earlier.

“We’ll make it work.”