Nature and Glory

Masuyo felt herself surrender control of her physical body. It wasn’t something she did willingly, but it happened. In the octagon, there were fleeting, precious moments in her matches when she could feel herself enter the zone. Where she could start to feel in tune with her opponent and see their movements seconds before they even happened. Where her mind emptied and everything just seemed to fall into place. It was one of the reasons she just couldn’t seem to give up on fighting. The feelings beat into her on the edge of every fist, in the lingering scent of every shared breath and drop of blood, she just couldn’t find anywhere else.

But the frustration. The fear. The anger. That all didn’t disappear. It was refocused and done away elsewhere. They weren’t needed among equals and friends. Enemies didn’t exist here. No one deserved that title. She kept those values close to her heart and wouldn’t let them go for anything.

Then this woman in black spoke, the one she spotted in the ring only a moment before, and it was as if the entire world went dark around her. Masuyo couldn’t see anything except her, couldn’t hear anything except the words she spoke so coldly and casually from the other side of the cage yet feeling so close to her ears. Her blood boiled from the inside and her veins lit aflame. A burning thump to her heart echoed.

The Japanese girl dropped Gin her grasp and leaped over the top of the cage without another word. She rushed forward and promptly put herself in the stranger’s face, eye to eye. Masuyo held herself back from decking this woman straight away, and in that second, she realized just how familiar this face was. It was close to the top of her list, just below the Northern Queen herself.

There was a gleam of anticipation that fizzled away as quickly as it came. Her eyes narrowed and brows scrunched close. The fury in her clenched fists was etched all across the frustrating lines between her eyes and across her forehead. It flowed forth like venom from the three words that escaped her mouth.

“Roxanne Maria Ashworthy.”

Roxy rolled her shoulders a bit as she looked on at the raven haired woman who almost bolted towards the cage, thinking that another fight would break out again. The Japanese woman jumped over the cage and then marched her way right up into the face of the buxom former MMA menace.

Green eyes fixed at the grey eyes of the every so slightly shorter woman in front of the Conqueror. Tilting her head a bit to the side when the woman in front of her spoke out her full name. " Roxy is fine." She'd answer in a rather casual manner, " My name is a bit of a mouthful after all." She joked as she would keep her arms rather lazily at her sides.

" and you are?" Roxy had seen this woman before, facing off in Friction if her memory served her right. Though she didn't exactly have much of a clue as to who she was. She wasn't one to care much about other people or bother studying tapes of other wrestlers or the like.

It was the eyes that Masuyo hated the most.

There were a lot of things you could tell about another when you looked them in the eyes; what they were feeling, how they might act. It was an invaluable tool whenever she was in the cage. Reading your opponent was almost as important as knowing how to fight.

The toned physique, the nonchalant posture, the free and relaxed arms at her side. They all told Masuyo what she already knew about this woman. But what did she when she looked at Roxy straight on? Eye-to eye? Pure confidence. As if the entire world could bend to her whim.

That wasn’t entirely surprising considering her moniker. Masuyo, as a fellow in the mixed martial artist leagues, was familiar with her by reputation both inside and outside of AFW. It was only when she started becoming active again that she flew onto Masuyo’s radar. A gifted fighter that had punched her way to the top ranks of the federation. The Japanese girl was aiming for that bracket herself. She knew the two of them would have to cross paths and was beyond excited for that day.

But she couldn’t be like this. Never like this. Masuyo felt her fist clench even tighter, creasing her fingerless gloves. This was her gym. A home away from home. And Roxy just stepped right in and spilled blood on the mats. Her teeth clenched, baring her fangs.

“Masuyo Ai. The Demon of Shibuya.” She reached out and grabbed Roxy tightly by the strap of her top. Their noses only an inch apart as she stared red fury into the greenette. “And you’re going to regret ever putting your hands on Gin."

Roxy could tell what sort of woman was in front of her right now, she was the kind to get upset over the little and trivial things, a dog that barked loud and probably had a nasty bite as well...the question was only if the bark was worse than the bite or the bite was worse than the bark.

Nonchalantly standing in front of the raven haired woman who had just gotten right up into the personal space, practically pressing her modest chest up against the rather buxom bust of the Conqueror. Roxy would roll her eyes a bit as Masuyo spoke out her name and then even a little title as well.

Feeling her top grabbed and her head pulled in a bit closer towards the every so slightly shorter woman's face, their noses practically touching as she glared into her with eyes filled with fury.

Raising her hand up, Roxy would release a sigh. "Am I now?" Roxy spoke out in an almost amused tone, before she brought her hand up in between their faces, letting her gloved palm press against Masuyo's face as she would shove her away in a nonchalant and disrespectful manner. "You're way too close." Roxy would mockingly let out as she'd shove Masuyo back.

There were a lot of lessons she wanted to teach Roxy before sending her packing on the back of a stretcher. It was the only thing holding her back from a full-on brawl right here in the middle of the gym, in front of everyone. People like this didn’t learn from a simple beating. Respect, fortitude, sincerity. She had to pound those principles into Roxy the same way they were pounded into her.

The first lesson: never put your hand on an aikido prodigy.

The instant she felt that finger touch her face, Masuyo’s free hand reached up and snatched it by the wrist. The hand grabbing Roxy’s top shoved at her shoulder to whip her around on the spot as she pinned her arm behind her back. With a hard shove Mausuyo promptly slammed her face first against the chainlink fence. Her scowl deepend as she pulled back on the arm further, bending it like a chickenwing. She pressed hard into Roxy's back, denying every inch of freedom she could take. “Try that again. I dare you.”

Roxy would raise an eyebrow as Masuyo reached up and took a hold of her wrist, feeling her already use that top of her to pull and whip her around on the spot. The greenette didn't struggle as the raven haired woman spun and slammed her face first into the chain link fence, growling out a bit as her cheek was pressed up against the cage.

Hearing Masuyo dare her like that, the Conqueror would release a soft chuckle, raising her other arm up she'd swing it back and try and nail Masuyo in the side of her head with an elbow, trying to drive that bony point into the temple of the Demon of Shibuya as she'd then try and spin out of the position she was in to get in behind Masuyo. Looking to grab onto her arm and place it in a hammerlock position as she'd try and shove the woman's face up against the chain-link fence instead!

Masuyo had been performing arm locks since she was six. Applying a hold like this came as easily as tying her own shoes. She didn’t even have to think about it when she slammed Roxy against the cage. All she did was stare right at the back of her head and think of all the ways she might-

“GAH!” A swift elbow to her temple rattled her skull, hitting the money spot that left her stunned for a moment. And a moment was all it took before Roxy grabbed her arm and swapped places with her. Suddenly, the MMA maven found herself on the opposite end of the same hold. That got a growl out of Masuyo who pushed against the fence to little avail. Her anger just wasn’t enough. “You-!”

“Hands off, Piggy.” A stern voice came from behind them. Masuyo’s eyes flashed over Roxy’s shoulder to the silver-haired man standing directly behind her. He stood tall, unburdened, watching the grenette with a sidelong glance and a hand tucked in one pocket. Compared to how she saw him a moment ago, the man before them looked stronger than ever. His eye flashed with an intensity she hadn't seen before. A silver, cutting edge. “Touch one hair on that girl’s head and a jail cell will be the last thing you have to worry about.”

“Gin…” Masuyo felt her grip tighten, baring her teeth in frustration. If she even dared...

Keeping Masuyo pressed against the wire mesh as she struggled like a wild beast in captivity was rather amusing but when the voice of the silver haired man came from behind them the green haired woman would look over her own shoulder towards him.

Rolling her eyes as she would then release Masuyo and step back a few steps. "You should train your mutt a bit better, she's quite wild." Roxy mockingly spoke out. " They usually put down dogs who randomly attack people." Roxy joked as she gave Masuyo some space with her arms raised. After all she'd done what she wanted to do her and had no plans of fighting Masuyo, though she wasn't going to step down if she was violently attacked by a wild beast, she'd put that beast in their place.

Her heart was pounding hard inside of her chest. All of the anger that she’d felt moments ago was quickly giving way to a sense of anxiety. She almost had a way out of this hold, but there was no telling what Roxy was thinking as she glanced at the man standing just behind her. Dozens of eyes were watching the brawl unfold, unsure of just how and when to intervene. And on top of that, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen Gin with that look on his face. That glare in his eye was unmistakable.

The instant Roxy released her arm Masuyo spun around to face them, her back against the cage as she gave her arm a few rubs and a couple flexes. Her gaze hovered on the green-haired fighter as she backed away. In a perfect world that would be where it ended and Masuyo would find a way to make things even between them on her own time. But that wasn’t the world she wanted to live in. Not right now.

The Demon stepped forward strongly, intent on getting right in her face again before Gin got an arm between them. “You’re the one who attacked us! So who’s the only dog here?!”

“Oi, leave it. You’re above this.” Masuyo shoved right past him and pointed a finger straight toward Roxy, aiming her down right between the eyes. “I challenge you, Ashworthy!”

The gym went silent for an instant before murmurs surrounded them in the ring. A few sporadic cheers chimed their way in from the sidelines, cheering on the local champion as she stood defiantly before their aggressor. She’d spent her entire life dealing with bullies. Roxy was no different.

“An MMA cage match! You and me in the Friction arena! And when I win, I'll bring you back here on your hands and knees to beg everyone in this gym for forgiveness, starting with my shisho!”

Roxy would roll her eyes as once more she was being accused of being the attack by someone who hadn't been here for the actual contest. If you could call it that. She would place one hand on her hip as she tilted her head a bit. She'd release a sigh as soon enough that finger came pointing right at her.

The Conqueror would shake her head a bit and then look over at Gin and shrug her shoulders a bit. " You really have no control over your little puppy do you?" Roxy said as she would then shrug her shoulders again. " Yeah, sure. I'll dance with you sweetie. Though if I win...I want to see you on your knees, admitting you were conquered." Roxy mocked a she would keep her rather lax stance with her hand on her hip and her hip cocked a bit.