Dohyo Passion (for Tatyina)

Katsumi sighed, leaning against one of the walls nearest the gym door, her gaze lingering out the glass panels and across the lot, trying her best to keep her eyes from Lysandra and Ciara. In all honesty, she really shouldn't have been out here in plain sight of her adopted sister and friend-rival. But she was far enough away and making enough of an effort to be inconspicuous that the ever-alert Lysandra simply ignored her presence. Ciara was definitely lucid again, but her injuries had not yet been tended, the blood drying on her body and the bruises conspicuously fresh on her bodily frame. The black-haired soldier was now leaning against one of the corners, her head turned to the side and her arms crossed in a posture of shame and guilty defensiveness, trying not to meet Lysandra's eyes. The blonde heiress stood like an icy sentinel in front of the other girl, and though she rarely raised her voice, what little of the vocal tones Katsumi registered brooked no kind words for Ciara.

In all honesty though, much of it was Ciara's fault, getting ahead of herself no matter how much Sarah Gatt had antagonized her. Even if the Queen of Brawl didn't report their savage battle, the myriad witnesses would definitely spread the word about a new fighter that had given just as good as she got against Sarah. The Era of Hell would know well about the presence of at least one of the three girls, and a good portion of Lysandra's intended element of surprise had been lost. Lysandra had been an operator working with Ciara for five long years on the front and had expected better of the One-Four-One operative. A little embarrassed, Katsumi ruminated to herself that SHE should have been the likelier to go overboard.

Wisely, she had steered clear of Sarah when the redhead had left the gym, making sure to stay out of the brawler's line of sight among the exercise machinery. Katsumi truly doubted whether Sarah would react well to even an acquaintance of Ciara. She sighed again. So many things that had seemed so simple, now so complicated in one day...

Admittedly, she had showered quickly so as not to disturb Akashi or Sarah, even though she was in a stall on the other side of the showering area closest to the door. But as Katsumi left the locker rooms, she had heard snippets of their banter and was rather taken aback. She had come looking for a worthy opponent, and the fact that Sarah and perhaps Akashi believed that she and Ciara had arrived just to throw their weight around akin to bullies hurt her just a little.

She was dressed back up in her modified boxers robes, though her bottoms were folded neatly and tucked in the crook of her arm. Her car keys (well, technically Lysandra's) tingled as she absentmindedly twirled the keychain on her pointer finger, waiting for Akashi to come out so she could drive them somewhere... more private.

Teresa, Hales, and Catherine were going to eat this up when they got here. Day one, and her life had already become more complicated than the last four years of her life combined. Perhaps she wouldn't have it any other way, but that didn't mean it was wholly comfortable...

Akashi had not know that Katsumi was close by or listening in when she was speaking to Sarah. Surely if she had known, she would have kept her words inside her mouth or at least spoken quietly. Akashi didn't want Katsumi to know how she felt. How much the girl had gotten under her skin. She really hadn't wanted Sarah to know either but the two of them had through some act of what could only be described as divine intervention, had become frineds and this night was a moment they both shared and could come together one. Akashi was involved ina lot of confusing relationships and it seemed that another one had been added to the mix tonight.

She was questioning herself. Not her heart as a sumo or her honor but as a woman, she wasn't sure where she stood. More and more she had seemed to be nothing but some giant slut but she was passionate and loved as hard as she fought. After she had dressed, she pushed those thoughts aside. She had been looking forward to spending some intimate time with Katsumi and wasn't going to let other thoughts get to her.

As she stepped out of the facility, she was dressed in sandals, black hakama pants and a blue silk kimono that had white cranes on it, leaving her bust wide open and offering the bounty of her valleys to any who would gaze at it. She quickly found Katsumi and smiled, hopping over to her and grinning widely. "Katsumi-chan!" she said and looked her over. "Are you ready to head out?" SHe asked seeing she was in her robes still. "Ah..." SHe blushed a little. "Katdumi-chan,.." She said. "Please don't be offended but... ahhh do you not prefer to wear clothes?" Akashi, who was the model of fashion for the 1700's Japanese woman could hardly tell others about their clothing choices but still. It seemed rather odd to still be wearing a boxing robe. It was, however, quite sexy.

Katsumi looked back from the parking lot and smiled wamly at Akashi. Despite what the other girl had said, she was sincere, honorable, and very pure in spirit. Whatever had caused her to say what she said was obviously no fault of Akashi's. At the very, very least, that's what Katsumi thought when she looked at the other woman. She nodded assent, acknowledging that she was ready to leave the gym, but she blushed and grinned at once when asked about her choice of clothes... or lack thereof.

"Oh, I could always just slip my pants on," she jostled her pants in the crook of her arm to emphasize her point, "but judging from what I'm going to be doing later, I won't exactly need them." She giggled, even as she felt a small spark ignite somewhere in her heart and belly. She opened the door for Akashi and jingled her keys. "C'mon, I'm driving. My sister's going to probably be here a while longer, take Ciara out for supper and a drink, then they'll both head either to a doctor or back home. That means I've got the car. Our apartment's only a few blocks from here. Lys always was intent on location."

Akashi grinned at Katsumi. "But half the fun is taking them off piece... By piece..." She said slowly. Akashi nodded as Katsumi opened the door and slid into the car, shutting the door. Akashi's car was certainly not as nice. She had some old clunker that she wasn't exactly sure how it managed to start every day but it was her baby and she didn't mind. Relaxing in the seat, she let out a sigh. It was in the comfy ar seat that everything that happened finally hit her and she felt very weary. It was the first chance she had to sit since even before Katsumi showed up.

Akashi nodded and listened to Katsumi's words. "That woman is your sister?" She said wit a bit of surprise in her voice."

Katsumi smiled at Akashi's surprise. "Nothing alike, right? We were both adopted and brought up by the same man, Allaric Tremaine. I could have been Katsumi Tremaine like Lys, but I wanted to keep my last name for obvious reasons. Plus, my sister is the confirmed heiress of our father's corporation, ICEPS. Kami knows what trouble I'd get into if I was put in charge of that company, it's got security spanning over pretty much all seven continents! Lysandra used to be more open and cheerful, but I think a lot of her experience and training in that area has hardened her, somewhat. Somewhere along the line she got as fast as lightning too, as you may have noticed."

She took the Audi at a leisurely pace out of the lot and down the street. Within the space of ten minutes they would already be pulling into the parking structure where she, Lysandra, and Ciara were residing. She glanced over at Akashi again and decided to spring a few questions. "So Akashi-chan, I've certainly met two really strong people today, you and Sarah-san. Who else is in the AFW that you believe to be really tough?"

Akashi listened carefully to Katsumi's story finding it all pretty interesting. To be taken in by someone like that seemed to be quite fortunate. It was good to hear that she was doing well at least. "I don't think I'd want to run a whole company either..." She said with a small smile. "It's hard enoug trying to manage one checkbook. And your sister did seem pretty tough." She admitted. Akashi didn't care who it was. If they were strong, she would gladly fight them.

Akashi wasn't too surprised at the question, just the suddenness but she grinned. "Heh." She smiled. "Well this girl named Seraphim seems pretty toug. Along with some other girl named Lukretia. Masane Tajiri is tough and so is Kirin Sumomo, though she's a little olderand maybe a bit more of a sex fighter. She is the current champ though." She then turned her head. "I guess some bitch named Rose Deltora might be tough too, but a gaijin like that... Tch."

Katsumi listened attentively, though she made sure to keep her eyes on traffic so a fender-bender wouldn't ruin the day. She had certainly heard of all these women, yet considering how worthy an opponent Akashi had been, the young sumo now wanted further confirmation of their ability. If Akashi thought they were strong, then Katsumi would take her at her word.

She smiled when Seraphim was mentioned as she noted with satisfaction that the girl in charge of White Gale, the girl who Lysandra had stated her intent to ally with, was indeed a formidable fighter. But Katsumi frowned at Lukretia's name. Lysandra had even more of an issue with the woman and her illicit empire because ICEPS was fundamentally at odds with the likes of Lukretia's "businesses" as a rule, but Katsumi resented the German woman just because of her behavior and dishonest history, perhaps a little unfairly at that. She noted Masane, wondering if she had any similarities to Julie Hirayuki, the Shotokan Karate expert of Lysandra's Triumvirate group.

She should have felt a sense of competitiveness and ambition when she heard Kirin being mentioned, but the thought of potentially engaging in a sexual duel for the championship made Katsumi rather nervous with both arousal and embarrassment. Perhaps it was for the best that she was seeking strong opponents instead of just the championship like Akashi was. because the other sumo seemed far better geared towards that arena of the AFW than Katsumi was at the moment. She had a good amount of interest in sexfighting, but for all it was worth... Katsumi was rather green in that area. She kept her face expressionless and clamped her mouth when Akashi grudgingly acknowledged Rose Deltora, though. Ciara had warned her that whatever was going to happen needed to be resolved between just the two feuding women. At the very least, Katsumi thought, it might not end up as bad as... as today.

Brightening up a little, Katsumi decided to pry a little more. "So how long have you been going for in the AFW? I may have gotten some more dohyo time than you, but you've clocked more hours in the ring in a month than I've probably done in my entire life. Must be nice sometimes not always having to be so rigid in your fighting style, not that I'm resenting my choice to be a sumo or anything, but still."

I've been going for a while" Akashi said smiling. "It's the best thing that's every happened to me." She said with great conviction. "Sumo is my life... But ..." she paused. "I've come to realize that my honor and name will not be made in the dohyou." She said, siging softly. "I think that you taught me that...." She said looking at Katsumi and smiling as she leaned over and set her leg on Katsumi's leg. "To be the Yokozuna here, you need to be even greater than Sumo. The world comes here and I get to challenge the strongest women and the strongest styles. I will always seek to prove that Sumo is the strongest style! I will always honor the Tanikaze name and the Sumo tradition, which I have devoted my life to but it's not enough. Here I know that without ALL the things that make me who I am, I could not hope to be Yokozuna. So as much as I am grateful for Sumo, I am just as grateful for my time in the female sumo leagues. That experience has helped me out just as much. I am thankful for the time I spent watching people like Kirin. Seeing her as a wrestler gave me drive andmade me be able to take my blinders off when I couldn't just rely on Sumo in the squared circle. Katsumi-chan..." She said grinning. "I will make a Banzuke HERE And my name will be on the very top as the first Yokozuna. And everyone else with the same desire can push with all their strength to join me in the list..

She leaned back in her chair. "I don't have to sacrifice being a woman, just to be strong. That is what I like so much. In fact, it's because I'm a woman that I can be so successful in the AFW. I hope you will understand after being here a while." She grinned even wider. "And as your sempai, I will be happy to teach you." Though said partially in jest, Akashi was a seasned vet and Katsumi just a rookie and even if they were equal in the dohyou, akashi felt she could teach Katsumi much in other areas.

Katsumi listened and smiled warmly despite herself. She couldn't quite relate to Akashi just yet regarding the "broadening" of her fighting style approach, but of course, she was the new girl that had been solely focused on sumo until recently. She had experienced a bit of that with her encounters with Lysandra's acquaintainces and allies such as Teresa, Julie, and Catherine, but even more so simply by looking at how much more intense Ciara's battle had been with Sarah. Even though Katsumi was still intent on remaining faithful to sumo, she was quickly realizing that learning in other areas would be vital here.

She completely agreed with Akashi's assertion that she did not have to sacrifice her femininity for true strength here like she may have had to during her training with Akebono and Konishiki in Japan's sumo stables, and she blushed a little when her mind immediately thought of the more hentai areas of the AFW when Akashi attributed much of her success to her more "womanly" traits. She still felt a spark of competitiveness at Akashi's last statement, though. "Hey, Akashi-chan, I didn't show all of my cards earlier today either. You were one of the best opponents that I've gone up against by far, but Ciara and Sarah kept us from going the whole distance. You may have the upper hand when we clash in the AFW ring, but I'm not just going to lie down and let you dish it all out. If I go down, regardless of canvas or clay, I'm still going to make you work for it, Akashi-chan."

Then, alleviating some of the tension that she might have built up, she took a hand from the wheel and placed it gently on Akashi's thigh, slowly tracing upwards. "That being said, don't expect me to be a good little student this evening. The moment you say 'go,' it's game on from sundown till sunrise." She glared a bit at Akashi as she growled her sensual challenge in a low, husky voice, her competitiveness now mingled with the heat of her arousal in her stare. Despite her usual nervousness in a hentai match against a new foe, when Katsumi wanted something, she WANTED it. Akashi was probably the first woman in the AFW to see this side of her.

Akashi grinned at Katsumi's words. "If I thought you weren't going to give it your all, I wouldn't even have gotten in the car today. There are lots of girls here to pick from if I just wanted to dominate. That's not what I want. I don't like asserting myself over weak people." Her smile widened. "I do like dominating strong women though. I want to work for it. I need to be pushed to the limits. That's when I'm at my best, that's when I shine."

Akashi moved her hand from Katsumi's thigh to her hand and curled hr fingers around it and stroked it with her thumb. "Good." She said. "I'll look forward to disciplining you when you're being naughty. She then lifted Katsumi's hand and brought it to her lips and kissed it. But Akashi shifted her gaze to Katsumi. "I hope we're almost there. Any more and we're going to end up wrecking cause I'll pounce you right here and now."