Aftermath of Shizuka vs Toshio

Toshio was a mess: that much was for certain. His face, chest, throat and upper arms all showed livid bruises (particularly on his throat, where he had taken some strangulation damage), and his right knee was still a little swollen. The nurse had told Kyo that he would need a crutch for a while until his knee fully healed, though the knee wasn't the most of Toshio's medical concerned. The number of hits that Toshio had taken to the crotch had left the area pretty swollen as well, so he wouldn't be able to walk for a while. That, and he would be on painkillers for a bit.

Kyo had grimaced when he had heard it all. True, Toshio had taken some beatings when he was in the MMA circuit, but he had known the risks when he had gone in there. In MMA, at least, Toshio's opponents had always fought according to rules and conventions, and had never set out to deliberately maul their opponents. But this girl...what she had done to Toshio was downright sadistic.

"How are you?" he asked as he entered the room. Toshio was lying on a bed, clad in a greenish hospital gown. He turned to face his older brother, and his faced creased in a look of tired boredom.

"Well, aside from being stuck in here and looking at the ceiling lint all day, I'm fine," he grumbled. Kyo could see some of the injured pride in his eyes, though-- he was still in pain, and still bitter at losing so badly.

Kyo nodded. "I know, it can be boring." He tossed some items to his brother. "Here, brought you your IPOD and a few of those magazines you like.”

Toshio nodded, and gingerly picked up one of the proferred MMA mags. “You know, that girl was just lucky,” he grumbled. “If it had been a real fight, I woulda kicked her ass...”

Kyo shook his head. “No, nee-san,” he replied. “You lost because you had underestimated her. Admit it, Toshio, you were hitting on her, werenâ€t you?”

Toshio bolted upright. “WHAT? No, I—OWWW!” Sharp pains in his back forced him to lie back down. “Oww...okay, maybe I did,” he grumbled. “And can you blame me? She was freaking hot!”

“There is such a thing as courtesy you know,” Kyo said sternly. “Maybe if you had treated her with some respect like any proper opponent, just like Dad taught you...”

“Ehhh, there you go, always siding with Dad and touting that “honourable warrior” stuff at me,” Toshio grumbled. “Iâ€m only human, bro! Canâ€t I live a little once in a while? Besides, the way you carry on with your samurai routine, youâ€ll never get laid, bro.”

Toshio briefly turned red. “I...thatâ€s beside the point!” He said abruptly. “The point is that you pretty much allowed yourself to be taken advantage of by—“

Toshio didnâ€t get to finish, sadly, as the next thing both he and Toshio knew, the door flew open, and a smaller figure ran into the room and punched Toshio in the face of “BAAAKAAAAAA!”

“OWWWWWW! WHAT THE HELL?” Toshio exclaimed. “Makie? What the hell are you doing running into my room and punching me in the face?”

Makie, the younger sister of the Akamatsu siblings, glared down angrily at her injured brother. “For being such an idiot, idiot!” she snapped back. “What the hell are young doing challenging random girls out in the recreational fields? Or even worse, what are you doing LOSING to random girls out in the recreational fields? Some MMA guy you are!”

A vein on Toshioâ€s forehead bulged. “Donâ€t talk so nastily to your older brother, you little twerp!” he shouted. “If I hadnâ€t been so distracted, I would have won! That girl...” He trailed off, going red in the face when he realized what he had just admitted to.

Makieâ€s glare intensified. “Distracted? How can an experienced fighter like you be distracted, dummy? You donâ€t mean...” She turned red as well. “You mean you WERE BUSY HITTING ON HER THE WHOLE TIME? BAKA NO HENTAIIIII!”

And with that, Makie began to vigorousy noogie Toshioâ€s head. Toshio, sadly, couldnâ€t defend himself, seeing as one of his arms was still in a sling. “Ow, ow ow OW! CUT THAT OUT!”

“I was worried sick about you, and the whole time is was because you were trying to hit on some random girl like some kinda pervert?” Makie shouted as she noogied her older brother. “Just waitâ€ll Mom and Dad hear about this!”

“Donâ€t you frigging dare, you little twerp!”

“Who are you calling twerp, pervert?”

“Iâ€m not a goddam pervert! Stop saying that! Itâ€s not perverted to take an interest in girls my age!”

“IN THE TRAINING GROUNDS? What the hell is wrong with you?”

Standing nearby, Kyo sighed and rubbed his forehead in a vain attempt to stave off the incoming headache. This ALWAYS happened whenever Makie and Toshio were in the same room. They were always trying to one-up each other, always getting on each otherâ€s case, and always getting embroiled in silly arguments. Honestly, they acted like a pair of kids sometimes.

“Hey, Makie,” he said, a little miffed that his younger sister had ignored him. “How did you find out, anyway?”

Makie immediately stopped hurting Toshio and turned to face Kyo. “Oh, hey oneee-san!” she said with a bright smile, doing a complete change in personality from her previous, bitchy behaviour. “I was just in the neighbourhood, and one of the other girls said she heard that Toshio-san had gotten himself hurt.”

Kyo raised an eyebrow. “Other girls?”

“Yeah, this Canadian girl named Ivory! Iâ€m currently rooming with her and her sister Violet, since apparently Miss Sellers doesnâ€t have any spare rooms for me! Theyâ€re pretty cool, though.|

“Miss Sellers?” Kyoâ€s eyes widened as everything clicked in place. “Youâ€ve joined the AFW?”

Toshio bolted upright. “Youâ€ve joined the AFW?” he gasped as well.

“Uhh...yeah?” Makie stared at her brothers in confusion. “Whatâ€s the big deal?”

Kyo groaned. He had hoped that this wouldnâ€t happen. “Makie, do you even know what this place is like? Do you even know about some of the matches that the girls here have to fight in?”

“What, like the hentai matches?”

Both Kyo and Toshio turned a very pale shade of white.

Makie simply laughed. “Oh come on, guys, itâ€s not like I could let you two hog all the fun, now could I?” She stopped laughing and gave them a hard stare. “But seriously, I can look after myself. Iâ€m practically an adult now. Iâ€m staying in AFW, whether you two like it or not.”

“Why you little....” Toshio was literally steaming. “THATâ€S IT! Iâ€m so telling mom and dad about you!”

Makie turned around and gave him a mocking face. “Then I donâ€t suppose youâ€ll mind me telling them about your escapade in the training ground, WILL YOU?|

“Twerp!”

“Idiot pervert!”

“Dammit, STOP CALLING ME THAT!”

Why do my siblings have to be this dysfunctional? Kyo thought to himself for what might have been the millionth time by now in his life. He began to wonder if Miss Sellers really knew what she had gotten herself into by hiring all three of them into the same league...


OOC: Over to you, Yatori.

OOC: Haii haii, sankyuu.

The TV in Toshio's room had been on all this time, though the volume had been turned down so he could talk to Kyo. Toshio had been following AFW Sex Wars during his convalescence.

Sex Wars reporter Elenore Drake appeared on screen. She looked to be in a grassy field that Toshio might find painfully familiar. Her words just barely made it through the ruckus Toshio and Makie were raising.

"Sex Wars fans, have I got the scoop for you tonight! Soon to appear for an exclusive interview right now is none other than Tsuzaki Shizuka! As you know, the so-called Devil Violet is very difficult to locate and contact. However, after much effort on my part, I've managed to persuade Shizuka to agree to this interview. Now I'm just waiting for our guest to arrive-"

"Here," was the cool comment from off screen.

"Ah! Talk about speaking of the Devil herself! Sex Wars fans," Elenore announced, "Tsuzaki 'Devil Violet' Shizuka!"

The camera zoomed out slowly to reveal Shizuka standing beside the reporter. Shizuka wore her tattered black cape around her and a distantly amused look on her face Her sword was nowhere in sight, but assuredly hidden in her clothing.

The instant Shizuka came on the screen, Toshio suddenly went silent. Kyo noticed the way his eyes widened, and saw the telltale flash of fear in them. This was worse than Kyo had thought: this Shizuka girl had not only badly injured Toshio's pride, but she had also left him more than a little afraid of her in the process. The sight of his brother like this pained Kyo immensely.

"That's the girl who beat Onee-san?" Makie asked as she sat in her chair, hugging her knees. "Pffft. She looks like such a tramp."

"Pipe down," Toshio muttered.

Makie whirled around on her brother. "Ehhhhh, come on, Toshio-san, I'm showing support for you. That girl really does look like a tramp."

"Pipe down," Kyo said this time. This quieted Makie down. Shizuka was lithe and slender, a perfect, graceful example of femininty, though her body was, for the most part, obscured by a swirling black cape that shrouded her. For a moment, Kyo wondered what kind of girl would wear a cape, until he looked at her face. The iciness of her eyes astonished him. He had never thought that he could see someone whose eyes looked so cruel. There was now no doubt in his mind: she looked exactly like the kind of girl who would leave Toshio this badly injured.

He sat down, eying the girl on the screen intently. Let's see more of what you're like, Tzusaki Shizuka, he thought to himslef. Let's see what your strengths and weakness are...

"So, Shizuka," Elenore was asking, "You've recently come off a crushing victory over Akamatsu Toshio. What are your comments about your match?"

Shizuka smirked. "He was disappointingly easy. I was expecting more out of him, what with his record and lineage, but he just couldn't measure up to my expectations- like any other man." She gestured diffidently. "Then again, perhaps I expected too much. After all, he was just a means to my end."

"A means to your end?"

"Oh, yes. He's supposed to deliver a message from me to his brother, Akamatsu Kyo." Shizuka eyed the camera expectantly. "Did you get my message, Kyo?" she asked aloud. "Did you understand it? Or do you want me to go over there and translate it for you? Why not?"

Hate twisted her face. Now she truly resembled her new moniker. The alarmed Elenore stepped back from her. So did the cameraman, the screen shaking.

"You're next, Akamatsu Kyo," Shizuka snarled. "I'll destroy you like I destroyed your puny brother. No, better yet, I'll shatter you worse. Then your brother can tell you 'I told you so' while you're sharing a hospital room with him after I'm done with you."

She turned her back on the camera and stalked away.

When Elenore spoke again, her trained voice was shaking slightly. "And that's Tsuzaki Shizuka, Sex War fans..."

For a moment, Kyo was silent, long after the channel had moved to a different story. Toshio and Makie went silent as well, eying their brother with nervous anticipation. After what they had just seen there on the screen, none of them could find words that were quite fitting enough for the occasion.

Finally, Makie thwacked her brother over the head. "Baka! You mean there was a message that you didn't even deliver?"

"OW! I honestly don't know what she's talking about!" Toshio protested. "If she did leave me any damn message, then I was probably in too much pain to notice! Why don`t you go ask Rena-san about..."

He trailed off as Makie gave him a hard look. "Who's Rena-san?"

Toshio's face reddened a little. "Um...she was the girl acting as ref in that match..."

"IDIOT!" Makie shouted, bonking her brother over the head again. "You remember the name of the ref girl, but you DON'T remember the Queen Bitch giving you a message for Kyo-san?"

At that moment, Kyo suddenly turned around. His face was heavy with regret. "Nee-san...I'm sorry."

The words caused Toshio and Makie to go quiet. "S-sorry?" Toshio blinked. "For what, bro?"

"You heard what that girl said. She only hurt you so that she could get to me. It was because of me that all of this happened." He turned his face away from his brother, as though ashamed. "I'm sorry."

Toshio and Makie stared in complete surprise at Kyo. He had a thick skin, and usually, insults or threats never got to him. But it was perfectly clear to them that Shizuka's announcement had left him quite distraught. Shizuka had done more than shatter Toshio's pride: she had also done the impossible by actually hurting Kyo with a single threat.

Such a thing, to Makie anyway, was absolutely intolerable. "Dummy!" she said, suddenly getting up and slapping him across the head.

"OW!" Kyo looked up in surprise at his younger sister. "Nee-chan, what was that--"

"Are you really going to let that bitch get to you?" she snapped. "Don't you realize that this is exactly what she wanted? It's bad enough that she's done all of this to Toshio, but she just wants to add to our agony by making you feel guilty over it all! And you...you're doing exactly what she wants!"

"But--"

"No buts!" Makie placed her hands on her hips in a scolding manner. "Is it your fault that this sick bitch wanted to hurt Toshio? Is it your fault that someone like her exists? You can't blame yourself for whatever this freak does! She's the one who hurt Toshio, not you! If we're going to beat her evil little ass, then we'll have to pull ourselves together to do it!"

"Makie's right, bro," Toshio said. "Don't feel bad about yourself for what she did to me. No matter why she did this, it's not your fault I'm in here, and no matter what, I don't blame you for anything."

For a moment, Kyo went silent. At first, Makie thought that she might have overdone it. Then, however, Kyo looked her straight in the eye, and gave her a warm smile.

"You're right, nee-chan," he said. "I'm sorry for acting so spinelessly back there."

Makie smiled back. "Dammit, stop saying sorry, dummy," she said, nudging her fist against his cheek.

"So...what do we do?" Toshio asked. "Bro, are you gonna accept her challenge, or..."

Kyo nodded. "I have to," he replied. "After what she did to you, there's no way I'm going to let her get away with this." His fist tightened. "If she wants a fight, then I'm going to give her one."

Makie gave Kyo a concerned look. "You shee, onee-san?" she asked. "You already saw that she likes fighting dirty. How are we to know that this isn't some trap of hers?"

Her brother shook his head. "Even if it is a trap, I can't refuse," he replied. "She hurt Toshio, and challenged me. These are things that I cannot ignore." He looked back up at his two siblings. "Don't worry about me, though. I know what kind of person she is, now. I'll be ready for her. I'll get her back for what she did to you, Toshio."

Toshio nodded back. "Kick her ass, bro," he replied.

Although he hadn't said it, Kyo suspected that what Toshio had really meant to say was Good luck, you're going to need it...

The door opened to admit a nurse toting two purple vases filled with flowers. "Excuse me, Toshio-kun," she bid with a smile, showing that she had gotten to know her patient during his convalescence. "A girl left these for you at the reception desk. She asked me to give them to you as soon as possible."

She went over to place the vases beside Toshio. Each vase had a card taped to it with a name on it.

The flowers they contained were violets.

Toshio's face lit up in a big grin. "Niiice! You see that, bro? Obviously the ladies love me already!"

Kyo frowned. 'You've only fought one match so far," Kyo muttered.

"I know! Someone out there was obviously so wowed at how good-looking I am that she sent me flowers!" the beaming Toshio replied.

Makie's eyes narrowed. "You can be really dense sometimes, you know that?"

Getting up, Kyo walked towards the flowers, intent on reading the signiature...

Tsuzaki Shizuka signed both cards.

One vase was addressed to Toshio. The message read: Still alive? Good. That means I can still make you submit one day, when I feel like it.

The other one was for Kyo. Reserve a room or a bed next to your brother's. You're next.

Kyo clenched his hand, crushing the note in his grip. "Take them away," he breathed through clenched teeth to the nurse.

The nurse looked up in surprise at him. "Sir--"

"I said take them away," Kyo growled, his tone a little more forceful now. "Throw them in the trash. I won't have them here."

Shocked by Kyo's sudden change in behaviour, the nurse fearfully nodded and shuffled the plants away, while his siblings watched in awe.

"Nee-san, what the hell's gotten into you?" Makie asked. "It's not like you to behave that way!"

"Were they from her?" Toshio asked. "They were from her, weren't they?"

Composing himself, Kyo gave them a wordless nod. He ought to go apologize to that nurse later, he thought to himself. He hadn't been behaving properly, and it was not fair that she should take the brunt of his anger.

"What did the note say, Nee-san?" Makie asked. "I saw you crumple the note."

Kyo swallowed. "The usual stuff," he mumbled. "She promised to make Toshio submit in the future. And she also said that I'm going to be next." And with that, he began to walk for the door.

"Nee-san, wait!" Makie shouted. "Where the heck do you think you're going?"

"I have a match to prepare for," he said. "I'm going to fight her, Makie-san, and I'm going to win."

"Bro, hold on, please!" Toshio shouted. "She was trying to get you riled up! For all we know, she's pulling a trap of some sort!"

"Toshio's right...for once!" Makie agreed (eliciting a sour look from Toshio). "At least prepare properly first before you--"

Kyo wasn't listening. He was already walking out the doorway, not bothering to turn around and respond. "Nee-san!" Makie shouted. "NEE-SAN!"

For a moment, the room was silent. Makie stared at the empty doorway, as though expecting Kyo to walk back in. Toshio lay on his sickbed, not sure what to do...or what he could do, at that matter. In the background, the beeping of infirmary machinery was the only thing punctuating the silence.

Toshio buried his face in his hand. "And he calls me an idiot," he grumbled. "Dammit, Kyo, dammit dammit dammit..."

Makie clenched her fist. "Baka, Kyo..." she whispered to herself. "You're going to end up just like Toshio..."

After a few minutes, the door opened again. It admitted not Toshio but-

"Ara, you threw away my flowers? How rude."

-the smiling Shizuka herself.