Of Idols, Contracts and Games

Mamouru Higurashi had made his first trip back to Tokyo after moving down to Kyoto to join Tension. His reason, as were most of his reasons, was for the sake of a girl. However, unlike usual, he wasn't doing anything to try and get inside of her pants. He was in the Friction building looking for Thomas Drake. That man had a contract working as a manager for many of the friction girls including the current tag team champions, Eclipse. He focused on many of the league's idols but seemed to also be branching out a bit. One of his more recent acquisitions, Cassie Elliot, had become someone Mamouru was very familiar with. He had decided, almost on a whim, to try out managing talent on the side and Cassie would be an experiment to see if he had any ability at all.

Mamouru came with his A game. He had done a little preparing and gotten all the proper documents and information and, after lunch with his mother, strolled into the backstage area. He was dressed in a nice and very expensive suit with a long, thin tie. He looked good. He always looked good but he looked exceptionally dashing. He had decided that it would be better to give Drake as little notice as possible so he contacted him and told him that he was stopping by to talk contracts but nothing more. He was also hoping he might get a chance to see some of Drake's other girls. Maybe even Megumi Mutoh, his self proclaimed "favorite" AFW wrestler. As he made his way to where Drake was, he knocked on the door and waited patiently.

The door swung open to reveal a blue-eyed brunette, dressed in professional, yet provocative attire. She frowned for a moment, looking up and down Mamoru as if she was judging his attire. After a small moment of silence though, she nodded and smiled. "You must be Higurashi-san," she said, "Pleased to meet you, I'm Megumi Mutoh." She stepped aside, bowing slightly and holding her arm out. "Mr. Drake will be out in a moment, please feel free to sit wherever."

This was all a setup, of course. Drake knew that for some reason or other, Mamoru liked Megumi. Being the man that he is, he couldn't pass up a chance to see what would happen if they were alone. He was leaning against the door of the inner office, listening to every word, smiling to himself as he tried to pick up whatever information he could about this upstart young fellow who wanted to be a manager.

Megumi meanwhile went over to the small bar to prepare some drinks. "Would you like alcoholic or non-alcoholic Higurashi-san?" she asked, preparing to fix a drink. She knew little about Mamoru, having not payed much attention to Tension, but she knew that she didn't care much for the guys there. Still, she had to put on an act to make him feel at home. Whatever was his reason for coming, he had an appointment with Drake, and not with her. She kinda wished it was with her though. Then she could make one of those Tension perverts taste the bottom of her boots.

Mamouru was not expectin MEgumi to open the door. When she did, his eyes fell on hers and a warm blush came over his face as he trailed down her body as discreetly as possible. He smiled and then bowed. "Mutoh-san." He said, acknowledging her. "Of course I know who you are with only the briefest of glances. It's an honor to meet you in person." He smiled gently. "You're even more elegant in person." He added.

Mamouru took a spot on the couch and looked over Megumi as she offered him a drink. "Sake, please." He added. It wouldn't do to ask for something non-alcoholic in the presence of Megumi. Honestly, Mamouru hadn't even expected this to be a set up by Drake, he simply thought that he had come in at a fortuitous time. Though Megumi's mention of Drake, caused his ear to twitch lightly. Maybe, though, he had mentioned he had a visitor in passing and Megumi was just kind and courteous to a handsome looking man like Mamouru.

As he looked over Megumi, she certainly was stunning. Most guys like him might not even had a shot against a girl, a superstar wrestler and model like her but Mamouru always liked a challenge. He worked through his mind how the best way to try and lure her in was. No doubt, she'd heard everything. Mamouru decided to take a muted approach.

"I've seen most of your matches, Mutoh-san." He began. "You have quite a technique."

Megumi took out a small bottle of sake, pouring Mamoru a tiny glass. She got herself a glass of wine, bringing it all over on a platter, setting it down in front of Mamoru. His attempts to hit on her were rather amusing, certainly revealing that playboy attitude that every Tension guy seemed to have. It was like they all thought they were god's gift to women because they wrestled girls or something.

Megumi sat down on the couch across from Mamoru, gently crossing her legs. "Quite a technique huh?" she said, "That's the first time I've heard anyone compliment me on that." She put on a rather bemused smile.

"It seems like a rather odd thing to notice," she continued, "I guess since you're a wrestler, you'd have to know about those kinds of things." She took a sip of the wine. "I've never seen your matches unfortunately. It's rather hard to pay attention to both Friction and Tension, especially when I have no business with Tension."

Drake, who was still hiding, nodded, liking Megumi's plan of attack. Even if she still refused to admit she was an actress, the girl was damn good at acting. He leaned in close, eager to hear Mamoru's response.

Mamouru took the drink and nodded to Megumi. "Arigatou, Mutoh-san." He said. He smiled when he heard that his compliment hit the mark. He'd have to work that angle and, unlike many of the Tension guys he thought would hit on Megumi, Mamouru actually KNEW about wrestling. He'd grown up with it his whole life.

"Yes, I've grown up with wrestling so I know quite a bit about it. I suppose it was in my blood." He addressed her not paying attention to Tension and him in particular with a soft laugh. "Ah, Mutoh-san, I wouldn't expect you to have seen anything I have been in. I have only had one heights match and a tag match that was barely official. I certainly believe I have a talent for wrestling, but I feel as if I could do much better as a manager of talent." He stopped with talking about himself and decided to address her.

"I saw your last tag match. You really battled against that other team. Yuuki-san was on the ropes and you really came through, even when the other team seemed to fight quite fierce and a little unfairly. Not to mention that you were assaulted after the match. Honestly, not many other girls have the kind of in ring awareness like that. Yuuki-san might have been double teamed quite handily if she hadn't had you for a partner."

Mamouru took a sip from his glass and looked over Megumi. He hoped talking shop would be the best way to melt Megumi's cautious heart but he had to be careful. Either way, he was certain she might appreciate a man who knew more than how her looks made the thing between his legs feel.

"A manager of talent, huh," Drake thought. Mamoru didn't talk more about that though, which disappointed him slightly. But it seemed that Mamoru was willing to say anything to Megumi. All he had to do was wait.

Megumi nodded smiling wryly at Mamoru's suggestion. "Don't let Chigusa hear you saying that," she said, "She hates it when people look down upon her." She took another sip of the wine and leaned back, relaxing her pose a little to disarm Mamoru and get him to relax as well.

"It's something that came after a lot of experience," Megumi said, "I grew up wrestling as well, it was a big part of my childhood. I don't think I could've been anything else, with my family's traditions and all." She looked at her glass of wine, swirling it around. "We're a bit alike in that regard, aren't we Mamoru?"

Mamouru smiled as he looked over at Megumi. He took another look at her as she relaxed. He did as well. It was nice, really, to have a conversation with such a starlet. He chuckled at her slight reprimand. "I would never speak ill of Yuuki-sha. She's quite a talent as well but getting double teamed can put anyone in a spot." He left it at that, intrigued by what Megumi was saying. They probably were a lot more alike than she thought, which may bode well for Mamouru.

"I'm sure there's a lot we have in common, Mutoh-san." He said. "But it's nice to be able to talk with someone who knows wrestling. In this league in particular it seems like many of the employees do not have wrestling backgrounds. I myself have three other members of my family in this league." His "Aunt" Rosie, aka, Kirin Sumomo wasn't a blood relative but she was almost like a second mother to him so he counted it.

"Your whole life?" He added. "I wonder..." He said bringing his finger to his lips in thought. "If your mother or another female relative of yours was in wrestling as well, there's a good chance we were scampering around in the same back stage playpens while we were growing up. That would certainly be a coincidence." He mused. A very good one as far as he was concerned.

Megumi nodded. "Lots of the girls are first timers," she said, "Though they usually have some background in combat sports. Not many have had the chance to go pro though, but you can't really blame them. We started when we were extremely young, thanks to our families." She nodded when Mamoru said he had several other family members in the league. She didn't really know who, but it wasn't like that was a big deal. They were probably in Tension anyways.

She raised an eyebrow when Mamoru suggested it was some female member of her family that started wrestling. "Jumping to conclusions are we?" Megumi said, shaking her head. "No, it was my uncle actually. He was pretty famous back in the day, heck probably even well known now. Kenji Mutoh, The Great Muta, that's the name he wrestled under." She looked thoughtfully at the glass of wine in her hand. "I don't think my uncle ever took me backstage to one of his wrestling events," she continued, "I've seen him fight of course, but he was more interested in teaching me how to fight than showing me all the wrestling pagentry."

"Yes, very much so." Mamouru agreed with Megumi about having wrestling backgrounds. Unfortunately, he was mostly around girls growing up so he didn't exactly have the sort of faher figure to help train him properly.

Megumi chuckled when his assumptions were incorrect. "Not necessarily, Mutoh-San." he said. "But usually dad's pass down to their sons and mothers to daughters." He pasued and tilted his head. "Then again... It wasn't that way with me, either..."

Mamouru let that go and focused on what Megumi said. "Oh! Ah, yes!" He said excitedly. "I do remember that now. Forgive me for not making the connection sooner." He looked over Megmi thoughtfully. "Thoug most of my time growing up was spent around the women's leagues, I was quick to be taugt about all the greats from most of the federations." Mamour chuckled as she thought about it.

But Megumi's slight barb didn't go unnoticed. "Ah, Megumi-San. The back area of the wrestling scene isn't just for pagentry. There's quite a lot to pic up cereberally."

Megumi nodded. "I'm glad you know him," she said, "My uncle hasn't fought for a while now, but he's certainly left his mark." Her eyes sparkled for a second. "And I plan on extending that legacy. He taught me everything I know. I need to honor that commitment."

"You grew up around the women's leagues? Was your mother a fighter?" Megumi asked, setting down her glass and leaning forward a little bit. "That seems interesting, girls don't generally fight the same way as guys."

She stood up, smoothing out her skirt. "You know, I've never liked Tension guys," she said, "It seems disturbing to me that there would be specifically a guy vs girl league. Especially since the guys all want to have sex with the girls. And the girls aren't helping, with all the provocative clothing and acting and stuff." She was blushing a bit now, before letting out a sigh. "I worry for them..."