That Bushido Called 'Love'

Manami couldn’t say that she ever assumed the Entropy title intending to become a hypocrite. The gold she’d walked away with over her shoulder a year ago meant nothing in itself in her mind. She sought the ‘glory’ and ‘prestige’ simply for the sake of achieving her goals. When she broke apart this world piece by piece, she desired as little resistance as possible. This entire arena had to know her name.

But then there were the obligations. She’d deposed the long overdue reign of the people’s symbol Valley Doll. She’d proven her mettle against the juggernaut Cicilia De’Reginhardt. And only recently had she found a worthy adversary in Pyrena before seeing her cast to the winds. Now, contenders seemed few and far between that she considered even remotely worthy to stand in the same pit as her. It was making her uncomfortably nostalgic for the early days. The last thing she wanted was to appear content in this state.

Oh, no. She’d never be satisfied. Not while these walls stood.

So was there anything of value to be found in a place like the Friction gym? Not particularly. Aside from the air conditioning and easy prey, the faults were too overwhelming to be even remotely enjoyable. At least for someone like Manami.

It smelled horrid. The noise everywhere aggravated her eardrums. The sight alone disgusted her. And of course there was the occasional admirer. Though there had been decidedly less since she’d first joined. Nothing quite gets the message across like a broken arm here and there.

But easy prey would satiate her appetite all the same. They could serve as the example she needed so long as they screamed enough, begged in that shameless veneer she’d come so accustomed to. So she kept to herself and bided her time by the free weights. Just another gym goer, waving away the occasional glance her way with a killer’s glare straight back. She wanted to become a shadow in this moment. Her eyes kept watch on the door and waited for that special someone she knew would be here at any moment. Her routine was so orthodox it wouldn't have surprised her if this particular woman had been targeted several times over before. She certainly looked innocent enough for the plight.

It wouldn't be long now. Any moment.

Eka breathed in deeply. She loved the smell of the place. When she told that to her family over the computer, they looked at her like she was completely crazy. And for a second, she wondered if she was. But she explained to them that it was just a sign of her and a whole bunch of other women there doing everything that they could to make sure that they were on top of their games. The sight of it was awe-inspiring for her. She kept thinking about her small gym back in Birmingham, the one where she first learned how to wrestle with the boys in her high school. According to her, it must have been built at the same time as the Great Pyramids in Egypt from how the floorboards creaked and the way the paint peeled. The federation that she worked her way into wasn't much better. Eka always kept that in the back of her mind, and the feeling that came over her when she first came to Japan never really went away. Plus, there were sometimes fans here. While she wasn't a major pull, she did have a few admirers here and there, and she especially loved the photos where she pretended to break their arm. It was all a joke, of course, as evidenced by the grin on her face, similar to the one she had now.

The reason for that grin was because she was texting Harumi. The Judoka was still not quite familiar with texting yet, she didn't think, but Eka liked telling her where she was and what she was doing. It gave her a sense of comfort. Plus, they could talk about their days together when they met up later on. She placed her phone in her locker, then closed the door. With a flick of the wrist, she secured her belongings and walked towards the door.

Her long dark hair tumbled past her shoulders as she walked, partially covering her blue sports bra. The Georgian girl probably didn't need to make her eyes pop when the chance of running into a fan was as low as it was, but it was nice to look nice, she thought. And the long black leggings she wore was a cool look, especially because the white shorts she wore over it made everything come together. Like most days, she was working on cardio, so naturally she was wearing her running shoes.

It wasn't necessary, strictly speaking, to throw the door open as she did. But she was so full of energy that she couldn't really help it. The sound of the door hitting the wall was louder than even the sound of the weights slamming into the ground. When she saw heads turning her way, she felt a bit embarrassed, and guided the door gently back to its starting spot.

There she was.

Even if she hadn’t seen her face beforehand, even if she hadn’t slammed the gym door hard enough against the wall to chip the plaster and draw every eye in the immediate vicinity, the wolf could tell her target straight away. There weren’t many Westerners of Eka’s origins in Japan and even less with that specific complexion and demeanor. All smiles and saccharine as if she was just happy to be here. Fucking disgusting.

Manami didn't know who the Georgian even was until yesterday. She hadn’t quite made a splash competitively so to speak. It was a modest standing at best amongst ranks of more talented, hardened fighters. But even if she wasn't a top performer physically, popularly Eka enjoyed plenty of high marks. From her view from the opposite side of the gym, it wasn't hard for Manami to finally piece together why. She was gentle. She was pretty. She was kind. And everyone loved her.

That was what made her worth breaking.

Her ambush was already underway as Manami pushed herself away from the equipment rack and stalked her way to the entrance, eyeing her quarry as she went. It wasn’t the most impressive she’d seen, but it was clear nonetheless how much time she’d spent keeping in fighting shape. The Georgian was dedicated if nothing else. Her own attire didn't expose quite as much as Eka’s, favoring a green tank top with a white trim and black leggings, opting slightly away from her usual ring wear for today's purposes.

Manami approached from behind with her arms crossed. She had a grin of her own on her face, though it wasn't quite as warm and inviting as Eka's. Nowhere near it. "Someone's excited."

"Yes, I am doing my cardio today. It is really helpful when you are wrestling, yes?" Eka's lilting Georgian accent could be heard before she turned around. The smile on her face revealed that she was, in fact, excited. When she finally faced the woman who spoke to her, that smile turned into a look of surprise. Her blue eyes were blank until the realization started creeping over her. Her dark eyebrows arched and she blinked a few times. It was not entirely surprising that the Entropy champion would be at the AFW gym, but it was nothing short of an honor that she would come up and talk to her.

"Hello!" Eka brushed her hair from her eyes, as if to ensure that the woman in front of her was real. The next moment, in which the world did not collapse into itself from its natural heat death, told her that this was very much real. Despite the fact that she was just as much of a wrestler as Manami, she found herself a bit nervous. "I am Eka, yes? It is very nice to meet you!"

"What are you doing here?" Eka paused for a second. It was a dumb question. The number of activities that could take place in a gym was fairly limited, and of course Manami was here to work out. "I mean, uh, you are probably working out to make those big arms of yours even bigger, yes?" Eka thought she saved herself, there. In what could be a good way to make up for it or the crowning moment of awkwardness, she extended her forefinger out to poke Manami's bicep.

Now this was an interesting reaction.

It was always a toss-up when she approached the first carefree waif that caught her eye roaming the backstage halls. Some found themselves wide-eyed and stunned with silence, others laced with fear and trembling with anxiety, an even and surprisingly greater amount that actually believed they could take her face-to-face. She could only imagine the considerable dent she’d placed in AFW’s medical budget from her off-camera interactions alone. There were only so many possibilities for a fawn unfortunate enough to so carelessly grace the trails she stalked.

But Ekaterina was one of those ever-so rare and fleeting opportunities that she’d been denied for some time since retaining the Entropy title. Manami’s eyebrow raised slightly, half at the compliment thrown her way and the implications that came with it. This woman had no idea who she was. Oh, it was clear she knew she was the champion. That momentary starstruck gaze told her everything, so often adorning the faces with new talent flowing in and out told her everything. It had a hilarity all its own, if only a little.

The Wolf Girl simply crossed her arms, giving a subtle surge to those arm muscles Eka seemed so engrossed with behind a knowing smirk. She watched her finger carefully as it came out to poke her, following it the whole way from the moment it touched her supple skin to when it slowly retracted back to Eka’s side. She didn’t say anything. Just looked back up at the Georgian. Right in the eyes.

“Nice to meet you, Eka.” Despite the frankness in her voice, this made things easier. Her head cocked to one side, giving a curious glance to the up-and-comer and a finger to her lip. ”I couldn't quite place you from afar, especially without that - may I say - lovely accent, but I feel a bit more certain of it now. You're something of a grappler. Greco-Roman. And with quite a knack for it, no?"

Eka watched Manami's reaction to what she was saying. A moment ago she had felt very warm and very happy, and now she thought that something was off. The Georgian girl felt that she didn't get the look up and down because she was pretty, which would have had frightening undertones but could have been pleasant, but because she was prey. The doubt in her mind spread to her face as her smile started fading a little bit. Manami crossed her arms, so when Eka touched those biceps were that much firmer. The Georgian girl was not sure that she had ever felt an arm that was that firm in her life. The silence as Eka did so was unnerving.

The silence finally ended as Manami spoke. Eka listened patiently, even brushing the hair back from her ears. "Yes, that is my favorite style. I learned it from my dad, yes? It has been something that I have been training for a long time." Eka paused for a second. She had been training it for a long time, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why verbalizing that seemed weird to her. Eka tried to put it aside. "But you have to win more matches to say that you have quite a knack for it, yes?" She chuckled a bit, hoping that her self deprecating humor would be disarming.

Her big eyebrows furrowed for a second. "What is your favorite style of wrestling? There are many different ways to do it, yes?" Eka was speaking more quickly. "It is very important to be well versed in many different systems, because you never know what you will face, yes?" Eka extended her index finger upwards. It did not occur to her that she was lecturing a literal champion on what she should do, but she was not going to stop. "I have faced many women, mostly big women and strong women. But everyone can be taken down, yes?"

Eka smiled. She really didn't mean that as a threat, and she hoped that the smile would convey that. And if it didn't well, she wouldn't mind a spar.

Nevermind. She hated that goddamn accent.

That sweet, saccharine tone was grating to the ears with that sandpaper base that one could struggle to call a “dialect”. This had to be her first time hearing an accent of this particular flavor. Satsuma didn't receive as many tourists like most other regions in Japan and she was starting to consider that a blessing. Where did the AFW even find backwater indigents like this? The more she spoke, the more Manami had to resist the urge to grab her throat and tear every last one of those 'yes's clean from her gullet.

But she didn't do that. She stood and listened, and quickly became clear why the Georgian maintained such a positive standing in the polls. Her attitude was a rather rare one on the combat sports scene anywhere. Money, popularity, vanity? No, Eka seemed genuinely enthused by the sport of it all. A trait that seemed to run in the family if what she was saying was anything to reliably build from. It was a limp and foolhardy excuse for entering an arena such as this, but semi-respectable all the same.

Manami was still disgusted by her very presence, of course, but there was something admirable amongst the filth at least.

Her eyebrow raised at that last tidbit of hers. If she hadn't known any better about this particular brunette, she would have almost read that as a challenge. Not a very smart one, but she supposed this was the destination they were heading towards. May as well enjoy the journey. "Oh, I couldn't agree more. Some people just can't see the bigger picture." Her tone was a bit lighter, more relaxed. It didn't fit at all.

"The best way to define oneself, I find, is by the opponents they face. Learn from your foes as much as your battles. It's a framework for truly unlimited potential. Then and only then can one reach out…" She raised her hand into the space between them and clutched it tight into a crushing fist. "...and seize victory."

Her face turned intense, letting those familiar contours and wild eyes seep through the surface. They were there when Valley fell, when Yuki succumbed, and now...she let an innocent smile peek through and relaxed her posture, placing a hand at her hip.

“I've always been curious to face someone from the Greco-Roman school. That being said, I am a little starved for competition at the moment.” She pointed a thumb over her shoulder to the practice ring. “Care to help me do a little 'branching out'?”

Eka saw the arched eyebrow. She had a terrible tendency to say and do awkward things, and she wondered if she had accidentally said something that made Manami uncomfortable. The tension within her was immediately relieved when Manami agreed with her. To make things a little bit better for the constantly stressed Eka, her tone was even slightly more pleasant. She did her best not to show how content she was with that particular turn of events, but she didn't have a good reason for doing so. After all, there wasn't really much reason to impress this woman, in Eka's mind at the very least.

The Georgian girl listened intently, and found her own furry eyebrows arching upwards as Manami spoke. The words she was using seemed like they belonged in the monologue of a villain in a movie. She had heard those words when some women did promos, but Eka felt a sense of nervousness interrupt her sense of satisfaction of having successfully navigated a single social interaction. Her blue eyes were not focused for she did not yet believe that she was in danger. But she could not deny that a certain unease was crawling up her spine. The clutched fist would have been a nice touch if she had a microphone in her other hand, Eka thought, but that wasn't where they were.

Eka blanched when the look on Manami's face turned intense. The Georgian girl did not interpret the smile as something that would be positive for her. But still, she had a chance to test her mettle against the champ. Despite the doubt in her mind, Eka fully intended to see if she could make her words true, to see if everyone, including someone who had a shiny belt, could be taken down.

"I would very much like that, yes?" Eka beamed. She had come here to work on her cardio. Wrestling was a form of cardio, she rationalized, and she would get to try her luck against one of the best. Eka started walking to the practice ring.

"It is one of the oldest forms of martial arts, Greco-Roman wrestling. At the Olympic Game in ancient Greece, they called it pankration. There were very few rules, yes? I read this story that one time the judges had a lot of difficulty determining the winner, because both competitors were dead, yes? So they awarded the victory to the guy who hadn't had his eyes gouged out." It was a pretty dark story, all things considered, but Eka was charging ahead. She was explaining history, one of her favorite things to do inside or outside of the classroom, and it was a topic that she thought that Manami might be interested in. "It is very difficult to imagine such a thing nowadays, yes?" She turned to see if Manami was going to enter the ring at the same time she was.

It was funny because she could see the hesitation in Eka's eyes. That wavering glance and terrified curiosity hidden behind those beautiful brown irises. For some frail little college student, she had some good instincts. Maybe she'd been in this type of situation before and could smell something in the air. When rabbits could do nothing but run their entire lives, it was only natural that they get better at it.

Why she chose not to act on it was its own mystery. Manami had no reason to complain. It made this even easier.

There was a subtle delight in Eka's enthusiasm that she couldn't help but pick up on. It only added to the not entirely fake smile sprouting on Manami's face as she walked alongside the Georgian. On any other day, in any other place, at any other time, this would have been a pleasant conversation. A gruesome subject, yes, but not one that Manami was disinterested in. Things with blood and ancient weapons tended to walk that fair line for her.

"Not as difficult as you would think. Everything is just a matter of perspective, Eka." Maybe her friend should look into being a curator. Even if Eka was a little awkward for her own good, she more than made up for it with tenacity and a dash of vigor. Just her ability to 'be' seemed to light up the room. It was almost blinding. She hated it.

"Pankration went beyond the mere spectacle, however. I believe it was Alexander the Great that desired such renowned fighters for his own phalanxes before his conquests through Persia.” The Wolf Girl was the first to climb the side of the ring and stand on its edge. Gripping the top rope from underneath with her arm while her foot stepped down on the middle, Manami pushed the two rungs apart, inviting the Georgian to slip through the small opening she provided. Assuming she did, the champion would be close behind and walk with her to the center.

"What it meant to be a true warrior is a fascinating subject, isn't it? Just to think, we could be walking in the steps of legends and gods." Manami stopped halfway across the ring, facing Eka and holding out her arms to either side, embracing everything at once. "Instead, we're here."

Eka was feeling something that might best be described as whiplash. Only a minute ago, Manami was trying to intimidate her, at least as far as Eka perceived it. And now Manami was letting her into the ring. That was terribly nice of her, she thought. The Georgian girl was starting to think that her initial reaction, one of hesitation and fear, was wrong. Maybe this woman was not as mean as Eka initially judged her to be, and there was no reason for Eka to run off like a frightened hare.

The Georgian girl traced Manami's path into the ring with her blue eyes, and followed her so that she was standing in the center of the ring as well. This was where the magic was going to happen, she thought. There was so much energy in the air, and Eka was ready to harness all of it and use it for her own good. "Yes, everything was so interwoven in their lives. It kept the men sharp that they could be better in war, yes? And in our friend Alexander's case, it worked very well, yes?" She joked. Her mouth was open. The Georgian girl clearly expected Manami to laugh.

"Well, it is very far from me to be walking in the steps of legends. And pretty out of sight for me to talk about following legends, yes?" Eka paused for a moment, as her blue eyes were cast downwards. But they were quickly brought back up, to Manami. "Would you like to work on anything? Or shall we just fling ourselves at each other, and see what happens?" Even as she spoke it, she was not entirely sure what flinging herself at Manami would mean. And she was quite sure that Manami would do more of the flinging than Eka could do. But still, after she had dispensed with her nervousness, she asked herself why she wouldn't go for broke.