Ballad of a Brawler

Rika's eyes widened at Akashi's story of her origans. "You were born in a sumo arena?" she repeated. That was actually pretty amazing; it was like it was fate that Akashi would become a great sumo wreslter. "Wow, that must have been an akward match," Rika noted, giggling at her own joke.

Rika blinked at Akashi's odd question about her, and merely shrugged at it. "Nothing really special about me," she answered. "I originally lived in Canada, grew up in a happy household with my parents and one little brother. The only thing is, I liked to fight. And I liked to prove that I was strongest." In reality Rika was barely an above average fighter, and she lost fights almost as much as she won them, but she was too proud to ever admit that. "Then one day, I decided to challenge the leader of the strongest gang in town." She grinned weakly at the memory of her first meeting with Sarah. "Kinda got put in my place after that..."

Niether of the girls seem to have noticed yet, but they were being followed. Someone in a long trenchcoat and hood concealing his face was following close behind, ducking behind cover everytime they thought they might be spotted.

Akashi grinned at Rika's joke. "My father had his best tournament of his career that season." She said with a proud smile. "Canada?" She said with wide curious eyes. She had never been outside of japan and one thing she loved about being in the AFW was that she met people from all over the world. "That's sounds awesome, I would love to travel abroad someday, but maybe just for a trip. I suppose I am too infatuated with Japan to be gone for too long." She sighed. She then raised a curious eyebrow. "But why did you feel you <i>needed</i> to be the strongest? Is that the pot calling the kettle black?' She questioned. "I mean... I guess what I am saying is, why turn to that kind of violence. Why not channel the desire to be the best into a sport or something?" She sighed. "I'm sorry Rika-chan. I'm being too pushy aren't I? I just... want to know what makes you tick, that's all." She said giving a friendly smile.

Again Rika shrugged at the question. "Sure, I played sports," she replied. "Running, basketball, volleyball, they were all fun. But fighting was a way I could just let everything out. It was just so much more enjoyable for me than anything. The rush of adrenaline, the thrill of the competition, and the realization when you know youre going to win. That's what I love the most." She had a look of bliss upon her as she spoke of this. "I guess that's what drew me to Sarah. We both had that same desire."

"Yeah!" Akashi said. "I totally understand the thrill of it." She said punching the air and grinning. "There's nothing like that kind of rush." Sporting the same sort of grin. "I can totally understand that." She then paused. "But you're going to be here for a while right?" She asked. "I mean. I hope so." She said softly. "But what will you do? Don't you have any hopes for the title yourself? Or are you just looking for the most amount of fights paossible?"

Rika pondered Akashi's question a bit. "I never really thought about going for the title," she confessed. "I just came here because I found out Sarah was here. I would have never even thought about joining the AFW if it weren't for her." Rika grew solemn again at the thought of Sarah. "Now I don't know what I'm going to do..."

Meanwhile, the hooded stranger that had been following them seemed to be drawing closer.

Akashi gave Rika a hard pat on the back. "Live your life." She said with an encouraging grin. "It's your life not hers. Make some new friends try some things you've never done. Go on a date, get into more fights! It's your future to do with as you please. Even if we find Sarah and we work everything out, it doesn't mean you have to stay chained to her." She then stood in front of Rika and grabbed her shoulders. "Rika-chan." She said. "I don't ever want to see that look on your face again. The one where it looks like you are doing something that you really don't want to." She then paused and furrowed her brow and looked around. "Are those guys still watching us? it feels like someone is boring holes into me with their eyes." Her face flushed a little.

Rika almost stumbled from Akashi's pat on her back, but never the less it made her smile. "Thanks Akashi," she said sincerly. It felt good that she had such a great friend like Akashi on her side. She then blinked at Akashi's question. "Now that you mention it, it does feel like we're being watched...."

That was when their mystery follower made their pressence known. He walked towards them, his face impossible to disdern underneath his hood. Once he was close enough, he reached for something in his trenchcoat. A weapon?

Akashi clenched her fists when she saw the hooded figure. "Oi!" Akashi called out. She turned and looked at Rika. 'it's not a very good idea to walk around with that creepy hood over your face!" She said. "it's too suspicious!" She was tense and ready to strike, carefully watching the figure's hand to see just exactly what he was pulling out of his coat.

The mysterious man continued to approach the two of them, his hand still inside his trenchcoat. There was purpous in his walk, clearly he was intending something. Finally, when he was close enough, in a lightning fast motion he opened one of the sides to his trenchcoat....

To reveal the inside lined with watches.

"Welcome to the shop, ladies! Might I interest you in a watch?" the man asked boisterously in a thick british accent, gesturing to the many watches hanging from his coat. "I've got em' all! Mechanical, digital, electrical, automatic, waterproof, pocket watch, braile watch, calculator watch, skeleton watch, even watches that work in space!" He held up a golden Rollex in front of Akashi. "See this? It's priceless, it is. A kind gentlemen left it for me in the men's room. Now normally I'd charge two thousand, but since you got such a pretty face...." He pondered for a moment. "No, no, it's still two thousand. What do you say?"

Akashi was tense and was ready to throw a punch when the man began to reveal what was under his trenchcoat. She was afraid that there he could be hiding a gun or worse, his nudity, under that trenchcoat. But her eyes widened at the speed at which he flipped the coat open and gasped at the glittery watches, stunned by the incident.

She was silent with a look of awe on her face as she listened to the man's spiel. Slowly one of her eyes began to twitch and an obviously annoyed look came across her face. She could no longer contain herself and balled her fist. "Baka!" She shouted and a loopy knuckle first punch at the man's shoulder. Not intentended to hurt in the least but convey her annoyance. "I can just look up into the sky if I want to know what time it is!" She said. "And the sun doesn't cost me two thousand dollars!" She really was outdated.

She huffed and pulled away from the man and looked at Rika. "Well, at least he wasn't offering his penis." She said in a coy mumble.