A Modest Proposal (for Acuyra)

Significant trauma to the head and to the upper neck. Moderate bruising on the chest and abdominals. Notable trauma to the upper back. That was what the doctor's report had said. All things considered, Kyo thought he had gotten off lightly.

He leaned back in the sickbed, and continued to press the gel ice pack against his forehead and the back of his neck. As uncomfortable as this all was, at least the infernal ringing in his skull had finally stopped, and the soreness had gone down substantially after a day in the infirmary. The fans got the pleasure of seeing AFW superstars knocking the stuffing out of each other in the ring, they thought, but the never saw the aftermatch-- the days spent in the infirmary to recuperate, the hours of physiotherapy that sometimes had to come afterwards, the stiches and crutches that sometimes had to be administered.

He had, the doctor had agreed, gotten off lightly considering the battering he had taken. All the same, he was going to be out of commission for a few days after that intense match. At the thought, he idly wondered if the same could be said for Valley Doll right now.

That match had been more brutal than any mere singles match had any right to be. The battle between him and Valley had started off at a fairly easygoing pace, with the two of them trading holds and moves in a fairly tame, textbook manner as they tested each other out and got a sense of each other's abilities. After that, though, all civility had gone out the window as they went all out against each other. In Kyo's mind, he was fighting against a former Entropy champion, and so couldn't afford to fight at anything less than his best. In Valley's mind, he was sure, she was trying to make a strong second impression in Tension against a tag team champion, and so couldn't afford to hold back either.

The end result had been a victory for Valley...narrowly...in a battle that had left them both battered, barely able to move, and needing to be carried out by stretcher. All of this from just a standard singles match between them: Valley's sheer determination had been impressive. Not for the first time, Kyo wondered if the two of them had nearly wrecked each other in just a standard match, how badly would they maul each other if the Tension 24/7 or World Championship were on the line? A part of him both did and didn't know the answer.

Either way, he thought with a weak smile as he leaned a little more fully against the hospital bed, it had been an enjoyable match, even if the aftermath had been less than pleasant. He had been defeated before, but it had been a long time since he had been defeated in a battle that had felt as much like a chess match as a wrestling bout, a fight where he had had to adapt constantly against an opponent who was doing the same. One way or another he was definitely going to face Valley again, of that there was no doubt, and next time he was going to win.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the hospital room's door. Before he could even inquire as to who it was, the door opened, carrying with her a bag full of a change of clothes.

"Dr. Akagi says you're okay to be discharged to day," she said, tossing the bag onto his bed as she casually pulled her headphones off. "You're off wrestling for a week, but as long as you don't do anything stupid like try to suplex a moving bus, you should be okay to go."

Kyo raised an eyebrow at her. "Nice to see you too, sis," he said flatly, before allowing himself a wry smile. "But thanks. I was honestly getting sick of being stuck in this room."

"Don't thank me," Makie said with a pout as she sat down on a nearby chair. "I'm honestly kinda getting sick of being the one who has to come and bring you stuff every time you're sent to the infirmary." She raised a finger before he could retort. "And yes, I know you do the same for me. It's still annoying!"

"Duly noted," Kyo said, sitting up in the hospital bed to pull off the shirt of his hospital gown, leaving himself briefly barechest as he rummaged through the bag of clothes Makie had got him. (The Kenny Omega shirt? Really? Kyo didn't even like Omega any more) "I'll try not to be hit with any death valley drivers by former Entropy champions in the future, then."

Makie chuckled. "I guess you're just lucky that Valley Doll didn't leave you with any permanent brain damage...though even if she did, how would we know?"

"Hah." He slid the shirt on, and then swivelled his legs over and began to pull on the spare jeans that Makie had brought over his boxers. "Well okay, my skull was ringing for a while, though. And for a bit I was fading in and out of consciousness. But I assure you, I gave as good as I got in that match."

His sister gave him a derisive snort. "I would have won against Valley Doll, I'm just saying," she said. "And I would have done it with a lot more high-flying flair than you, and the crowd would have loved it." As Kyo changed, she leaned over in her chair with an evil, conspiratorial grin. "Sooooo, did you two exchange numbers?"

Kyo gave her a look of mild annoyance. Only mild, that was: he knew from past experience than it was better to not let his sister know she was irritating him. "Makie, firstly, she's not interested in men, and secondly, she's already spoken for."

"Awww, I bet you were crushed to hear that," Makie teased. "Another hot babe who you meet in the ring, only to find out that she prefers girls!"

"Seriously, you do this after every match," Kyo grumbled, sliding his pants on and standing up. "Although...she did say that she wanted a tag match at some point."

Makie visibly perked up at this. "Wha...really?" She gave a thoughtful hmmm. "You know I have been eying a match against Silver Ace at some point. I figured a high-flyer like her would be a good fight." She looked back at Kyo. "Anything official yet?"

Kyo shook his head, and slid on a hoodie. "Nothing yet, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see when it happens," he said. "I imagine Miss Sellers will love the idea, though: Valley Doll and Silver Ace versus the reigning tag team champs, the Crimson Legacy. I'm sure she'll try to put together promos and everything."

At this, Makie visibly rolled her eyes. "Yeah, she won't need encouragement to put together promos--" She suddenly trailed off. "Wait, Crimson Legacy?"

Kyo nodded, and slid on his shoes. "I put in an official application for a tag team name, finally," he said. He gave her a warm smile. "Figured I needed to make a reference to red, given the family name. So, what do you think?"

Makie sighed. "Honestly? It sounds a bit derivative, and I'm not a big fan of 'legacy.' I mean, do we really have to tie ourselves to mom and dad?"

The question made Kyo pause, for a brief moment. It was a debate they had had before. "I...felt it was important," he finally said. "We're on the path we're on now because of them."

"I know," Makie said, "but...I want to be able to say that I'm my own person. That I'm not simply following in mom and dad's steps. Plus..." Her hand involuntarily tightened around her headphones. "...I don't want to feel like my career...our careers...are defined by the tragedy of what happened to dad."

Slowly, Kyo nodded, and the smiled. "Let's talk about this over lunch, then," he said. "Is Katsugyu still open?"

And with that, the two of them exited the infirmary. For a brief moment, as he took a step, Kyo felt himself nearly lose his balance. He quickly grabbed the side of the bed to stabilize himself, and then let go, hoping without hope that Makie hadn't seen it.

It's just my legs readjusting after a long period of inactivity, he told himself. I haven't taken any permanent damage.

"Fine, but you're buying," Makie said as she opened the infirmary door. "Also, for whatever it's worth, I think we should be 'Crimson Thunder.'"

"You're just saying that because you have a crush on Blue Thunder Mask," Kyo responded as he followed her out.

Makie, predictably, turned beet red. "I...I do NOT!" she huffed.

A Restaurant in Kyoto...At the same exact time...

”...Mako...What the fuck is wrong with you!?” says a suddenly shocked and furious Suzuki as she states at her daughter who just moments ago spewed out a glass of sake like it was poison. Which as a result sprayed all over two of Mako’s uncles.

“...I need to find Makie...” the panicked shark stated, looking as if she’d been stabbed in the gut AND struck by lightning. Clearly traumatized by something she didn’t even know.

”...who the hell is Makie...” her confused and irate mother began to say before her crazed daughter stood up and slammed both hands on the table in a fit of rage.

”SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG AND I NEED TO GO FUCK IT RIGHT AGAIN!!!” Mako screamed as all hell broke loose in the restaurant.

Crimson Legacy was not alone. The moment they stepped out of the room, they found themselves surrounded on all sides.

To their left stood a woman in a white and black dress. A blonde, tall and slim, with a tablet in her hand and a smile on her face. She had been busy with her device, tapping away on it, browsing the net judging off the movements of her fingers, but that came to an end the moment they emerged. She looked up and nodded their way, with attention squared on Kyo. There was an analytical eye to her, as if she were taking stock of his body parts and getting a read on his damage.

To their right stood another one, this one in red, with a demeanor that couldn’t have been further from the other one if she tried. Leaning back against the wall, cigarette in hand, she didn’t even seem to notice them at first, too busy taking drags and staring at the ceiling. After a moment, though, she did deign to bring her head down and look their way, tilting her head to the side as she did. She sneered, not bothering to hide her contempt, until she centered on Makie. Looking at the smaller woman was enough to make her smile, but it wasn’t a friendly look. A cruel, twisted grin.

And then there was the man in front of them, clapping their way. He dressed professional, had all the hallmarks of business. The tie, the vest, the slick shoes so shiny that Kyo could almost see his reflection. Underneath all that finery, however, was a beast of a man. Over six feet tall, a giant by most Tension male standards, and every one of those feet was bursting with muscle. A thick frame, a wrecking ball of a man, with the shimmering smile of a salesman and the glittering hair of an angel.

”Kyo Akamatsu. Fucking hell, mate.” He clicked his tongue and stepped forward. A slow step, not too fast, not too aggressive. ”Hell of match, out there. Tearing the house down, no PPV. I’m impressed.”

The woman in red moved away from the wall, taking a lazy stroll behind him. She kept her eyes locked on Makie the entire time, though, while the blonde went back to working on her tablet. ”Jack Riley, and this is Lock and Key.” He thumbed his chest, motioned to his partners in turn, then extended his opened hand, searching for a response. ”New to the scene, brand new. Seeing you live is a crazy way to start off things, but I’m all in for it.”

Kyo froze the moment he saw the newcomers angled on all sides of them as they exited the infirmary door. To their left, and to their right, and dead ahead....an ambush.

That was his first instinct: he had been ambushed before by heels, back in his earliest days in Tension. At first, he wanted to quell that instinct: he had no enemies that he knew of...at least, none that would want to cripple him outside of an infirmary dorm. All the same, there was no mistaking the cruel intent in the eyes of the woman in red, or the coldly analytical eye of the woman in white. Or, for that matter, the smile on the burly man who was stepping towards him. It was the sort of smile that immediately put him on guard, that seemed to shine just a little too brightly for his liking.

A quick glance to his left told him that Makie was thinking the same thing-- that she was expecting trouble. Unlike him, though, she was tensing much more visibly, as if waiting for a fight. In particular, she was meeting the gaze of the woman in red, and the two seemed to be staring one another down intently.

Kyo did his best to quell his wariness as he kept his focus on the man, this Jack Riley. Slowly, he accepted the proferred hand, and gave it a firm shake. "Thank you. I'm glad my match was such an exciting introduction for you," he said, though he didn't match the Jack's smile. "How can I help you, then? You say you're new to the AFW?" The two women had a killer look to them that they were doing little to hide, and Jack, if Kyo was honest, looked more like a thug than a wrestler.

Jack squeezed Kyo’s hand tight in the embrace. A strong, firm shake. Not quite to the point of pain, not antagonistic - but firm. He put enough power into it to drop the hint that he could bring a lot more to bear, that he could make it a painful affair if he wanted to. For now, he didn’t.

For now.

”Yeah, fresh off the boat, still trying to get our bearings.” He stepped back and straightened up his tie, looking prim and proper. “Exports from the UK, but I’m guessing you could tell.”

”Royale, to be specific.” Lock finally put the tablet away, tucking it tight under her arm. She gave Kyo and Makie quick bows, nodding her head, her face showing a calm, placid gaze. ”A pleasure to meet you, both of you. We’re all big fans of you and your father.”

”Yeah.” Key’s eyes trained down Makie’s body, flashing all over her, before they went back to her face. Still smiling. ”Big fans.”

”Big.” Jack rubbed his hands together and took a couple of tentative steps to the side, seeing if Kyo would walk alongside him. ”You got a minute. I know, you have to be dying for a rest. Just want to discuss a little something with you. Two minutes, tops, and it’ll be worth your while, I promise.”

There was an unspoken threat in the handshake, Kyo realized: Jack's grip was firm, solid...but there was a slight tremor in there that told Kyo that Jack was holding back, that if we wanted to he could really make it hurt. Even worse, Kyo realized, Jack wanted him to know this.

As they continued, and brought up Kyo's father, he winced, briefly, at this mention. On the one hand, yes, he had wanted to name their team Crimson Legacy to honour their parents: their dad for his ring prowess, and their mom for her skill, her finesse, and above all for her sense of decorum in combat. And above all else, he wanted the name Crimson Legacy because...well, that's what you do. You honoured your parents, no matter what.

All the same, "King Crimson" Keichi Akamatsu had been a brutal, uncompromising man in the ring, who had walked that very fine line between being a tweener and a heel. Kyo had learned everything from him, but he never once liked to think that he was anything like him in the ring, especially with his opponents.

Slowly, Kyo folded his arms. "If you've been waiting outside my infirmary room for a meeting with me," he said impassively, "then it must be pretty important."

Makie was still glowering at Key, not liking the way the woman was looking her over. "We have places to be," she said. "Come on, Kyo, if they want to talk to us, then they can do so through the management--

Kyo shook his head. "No," he said, "they came all the way here. Let's see what Mr. Riley and his associates have to say." He still smelled a trap, but at this point the only way to defuse it may have been to bite on it.

Jack frowned, just for a moment, at Makie’s insistence on leaving. It didn’t last long. A flash. But it was there, and even when it passed, his gaze lingered on her, all the way until Kyo spoke up again.

Keeping things cool. Nice. Friendly.

”We could go through management, yeah.” He nodded Makie’s way and shoved his hands into his pockets, playing it off with a shrug. ”Kind of impersonal, though. Like doing things face to face, cut out the middlemen.”

Key was smiling wider than ever now, until Lock came along and gave her a gentle nudge in the arm, moving her along. She gave Makie one final, longing look, puckered her lips, then turned away to move alongside Jack, stepping in tandem. ”The Tension Tag scene’s hot now, thanks to you. Hot as it’s been in a long, long while, maybe since the UKE had their hands on it. We’d like to get in on the ground floor.”

”A match.” Lock spoke up as she made her way to Jack’s other side, taking calm strides, chin held high. ”A title match. I can point you to our previous matches if you’d like to see how well we operate. I think you’d find us competent.”

Jack flicked his finger between Kyo and his two compatriots, head bobbing along with her words. ”An opportunity, is what we’re looking for. A big one. And we’re willing to make it worth your while if you play ball.” He brought his hand out of his pocket, just enough to flash the wallet, in case the meaning didn’t come through.

A match. Kyo had figured this request would be coming. The way Jack and his companions had been looking at them had been a dead giveaway: though they had been trying to hide it, they had been sizing him and Makie up, as though quietly considering how best to brutalize them if it came down to it. He knew that because he had been doing the same thing, as had Makie...though Makie, he noted, had been a lot more open about it.

A match was one thing, though, but a title match...for newcomers, Jack and his two associates were bold, Kyo had to give them that.

And then Jack started talking about opportunities, and about making it worth their while...and then he saw it. The brief flash of a wallet, and the green wads of cash within it. And it was painfully clear that Jack had intended for it to be seen on purpose. A bribe. This man was actually trying to bribe him.

He felt a deep anger well up inside of him at the sight. He quelled it almost immediately, though not without effort. He glanced to his left, and noticed that Makie had seen it as well-- he could tell by the deep shade of red her face had suddenly turned.

"Why you--" she began, moving an inch towards Jack. Kyo quickly moved a hand up in front of her, and spoke before she could protest.

"I trust that flash of your wallet was purely an accident, Mr. Riley," he said, maintaining the civility of his voice, though he was unable to prevent a little bit of ice from entering his tone. "Things may be different where you're from, but around here, the implication of such a gesture could...cause grievous offence."

He loosened his posture a little, but didn't take his eyes away from Jack's. "If you want a tag team battle against us," he said, "then you'll have to earn it the standard way: by fighting your way up through the ranks and earning that right. Otherwise, neither my sister nor I are under any inclination to give a title shot to a new team we just met. Isn't that right, Makie?"

Makie had calmed down a bit by that point, and nodded, though the smoulder in her eyes did not go away. "Now, if you would all...excuse us," she said, in a tone that made it clear that she wanted to say something less civil, "my brother and I have somewhere to be..."

When Jack’s unspoken offer was refused, he didn’t respond right away. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t even move. He was still, silent, almost as if frozen in time. No disappointment, no anger, no anything.

Jack stared at Kyo. Kyo stared at Jack. There was a tension in the air, as if someone had the scissors on a taut string and was close, so close to cutting it and letting it all go.

That ended when Makie finally spoke up, directing his attention towards her. Hands even deeper in his pockets than before, he scratched at his chin while she dismissed him, tickling the hint of a beard that was growing there. He let her get it all out, and then he finally moved, more than he had in the last half minute.

[”Apologies.”] Jack switched to Japanese without warning, mixing the language with his accent for a unique blend. He brought his hands up and stepped back with a small bow and a smaller laugh. [”That was a little bit of a joke, but I can see humor doesn’t always translate across hemispheres.”] His Japanese wasn’t perfect - some of the intonation was off, mixed emphasis here and there - but not bad, as foreigners went. He’d used it before. Often, perhaps. ”You’re right, a title shot is a step too far. At this stage.”

”A non-title match could be just as good for everyone, in the long run.” Lock stepped around them and folded her arms over her chest, cradling the tablet there. ”The Tension Tag scene is in a good place now that you two have the belt, but you’ve both been around long enough to see it in worse shape. So many teams have gone by the wayside over the years - it’s all too easy to fade into obscurity.” Her voice trailed off, wistful, before she brought it back with the same energy as before. “Simply being in the ring with you would be a great way to start our time here, and we could pay that forward. Taking on other teams, raising the division as a whole.”

For a moment, the tension was thick enough that you could cut through it with a knife. Though Jack remained expressionless, everything about him-- his silence, his utter lack of body language, and above all, the way he was letting both drag on for several painful seconds, set off alarm bells in Kyo's mind. Though he did nothing to outwardly react, inwardly he was bracing himself for things to suddenly get violent.

Thankfully, they didn't: instead, Jack laughed, and slipped into surprisingly fluent Japanese, dismissing his earlier action as a joke that had been in poor taste. Kyo was disinclined to believe that explanation-- Jack's Japanese, after all, wasn't that good-- but he nevertheless quietly exhaled the breath he only now realized that he had been holding.

He then heard Lock-- who he quickly was figuring to be the ice to Key's fire-- came forward and explained their proposal a little more cleanly. Pulling her gaze away from Key, Makie turned to face the other woman. "And why us?" she piped up. "I get that we're the current champs, but for a non-title match, there are a whole bunch of other good teams you could take on. WhiteGale, for instance, or the Valkyries, or...those...big guys in the speedos..."

"The Dominion," Kyo cut in.

"Yeah...them." She folded her arms. "A bit ambitious, don't you think, to try taking on the title champs in a non-title match this early in your career?"