AFW Tokyo Fan Expo 2012!

"What? No. The floor can't catch me. I'm too quick." Taylor replied.

In an astonishingly short period of time Taylor was out of her clothes and wrapped securely in a fresh white towel. She turned around, ready to head into the showers, but Chigusa was still just standing there naked. She averted her eyes and waited until she decided to cover up. Maybe it was a thing with exhibitionist, show-offy, stage types that just liked to be naked around people. She did have a bit more muscle tone to her than Taylor would've guessed, though.

Taylor's phone vibrated from somewhere in her clothes. She pounced on it, there weren't many people who ever called her phone and any of them she didn't want to miss any of them. She picked up her phone and looked at it for a moment, then grinned and giggled. It was a text, or rather a picture, from Johnny.

"Sorry, it's Johnny. I mean, my boyfriend. He's... yeah." She giggled. She went to put her phone down and head into the showers. "So do you know Cassie Elliot? I hear she's got the same manager as all you guys..." She changed her mind and grabbed her phone. She had an idea to trump Johnny in their ongoing picture texting war.

"So, can you do me a huge favor?" She asked Chigusa, and approached her. "Can I get a picture with you to send to Johnny?" She grinned mischievously.

Without any further warning, she dropped her towel and yanked Chigusa's off, grabbed Chigusa by the wrist and pulled her in close. She wrapped an arm around her lower back and leaned into her, flashed a devilishly sexy grin at her phone and snapped the picture.

She turned her phone over and checked the picture. "Nailed it." She giggled. When Johnny was in the picture, she was like an excitable little school girl and retained very little of her guarded, snarky, cool exterior. She handed Chigusa her towel, sent the picture, and hung her own towel on a hook before stepping into the showers and turning one on, adjusting the water to be as hot as she could stand.

Meanwhile, in Kyoto:

Johnny had been sitting on his couch. in his apartment in Kyoto. Actually, he was upside down, halfway on the ground in a pile. He was bored. He had worked out a ton today already and after some lunch, he fell asleep watching some matches. He held his phone up in the air. Taylor was at some Expo or something for the company.

"Why don't I get to go to some dumb convention? Bah!" Johnny huffed and looked around. He had thought about calling Taylor for a bout 15 minutes but just ended up staring at the phone. "Probably in some both in something skimpy getting stared at by dudes... and ... chicks?" He grumbled despite the last little thought.. That's what he thought was happening at least. He'd seen enough racing queens in his day to know what went on at expos.

After a few more moments of indecision, he pulled off his shirt and grinned. He reached back and fished around in his drink and pulled out an ice cube. He ran it up and down his chest until it was melted, leaving his perfect manly features glistening. Then he snapped a picture. He sent it to her phone with the text that read:

"I'm sure that Expo is cool and junk, babe, but this is what's goin down in Kyoto!"

He snickered at the thought of stirring Taylor's pot a bit when barely a minute later his phone buzzed back. He grinned but when he saw the picture, his jaw dropped. "T-That's ... That's not fair!" He yelled and sat up.

"Yeah well!" he said to now one and bit his lip. He looked towards his bedroom and then down at the picture. "Wait a minute... is that cool when?"

His thoughts made hsi cheeks redden but he was snapped out of it when through the door burst Mamouru.

"WHAT. THE. FUCK!" He said at his brother.

Mamouru stopped, he had a big duffle bag with him and looked rushed. "Eh... why are you shirtless wet and holding a phone with a pic of..."

Mamouru caught that Johnny was looking at a SOMETHING inappropriate. He saw a flash of purple and blue and a lot of "Skin color" but other than that, Johnny managed to hide the phone's view.

"SHOULDN'T YOU BE IN TOKYO!? Banging some Danish girl!?"" Johnny said more shocked than angry.

"Yes, it's a long story I'm only here for a-'

"Get the fuck out!" Johnny said and began to muscle his brother out of the apartment.

Chigusa was just about to head in to the showers when Taylor's phone buzzed. "Cassie? I know of her," she said, "I don't think I've ever properly met her though... it's hard to even know who Drake works with when I have my schedule." She paused for a moment, trying to remember who Cassie was supposed to be, when suddenly Taylor jumped up and asked for a favor. And before Chigusa could even respond, her towel was tugged clean off her body and she got pulled in to a very naked hug against Taylor. The punk girl seemed surprisingly fine with it, while Chigusa was visibly surprised with her eyes wide and her face inadvertently blushing. And with the way she leaned in against Chigusa... she seriously wondered if Taylor's purported homophobia was just a front for something...

But it seemed that where her boyfriend was concerned, Taylor was willing to do some embarrassing things. Chigusa grabbed her towel, holding it close while she went into the showers, picking one across from Taylor's so as not to get too close and uncomfortable.

"You surprised me back there quite a bit Taylor-san," Chigusa said as she turned the water on, "Your boyfriend... Johnny was it? You must really like him."

"Yeah. I do." Taylor said dreamily while she soaped up. "Sorry... that was weird, but it's just... I can't help myself with him. Like, when we're together... We both like to work out, but we can't work out together, because, ya know, work out clothes and moving and sweating and stuff... In five minutes the whole workout goes out the window."

The warm and cuddly feeling she got around Johnny waned somewhat as she slowly slid back into reality. Johnny's text was well timed, actually, Taylor didn't feel half as insecure around Chigusa now that she had his reminder that she didn't need to impress some pop singer chick. She sighed deeply and relaxed as the steaming hot water cascaded over her.

She leaned her forehead against the wall and closed her eyes. "You probably think I'm pretty weird, right? You probably think I'm a total jerk. I guess I can't really argue either way." She said. She went back to showering. She got her hair wet but didn't go through the whole process of shampooing it and everything. That would be a bit too time consuming at the moment, and she still didn't want to linger longer than she needed to in the showers with Chigusa.

"You're really small." She remarked randomly as she wrapped up her shower and went back for her towel. "Like, I forgot how small you are. You look way bigger on TV. I feel like a giant, and I'm almost always the smaller girl in a fight. It's weird."

"Love is a beautiful thing," Chigusa said with a smile. Seeing Taylor so madly in love was really surprising, and it really softened Chigusa's opinion of the girl. She thought Taylor was a bit mean, maybe even a little nutty, but seeing her like that really changed everything. She was just a normal girl who had been through a lot and got a bit jaded. Chigusa knew her type well enough now. Many of the idols and former idols she worked with in the past were like that.

"No, I don't find you particularly weird," Chigusa said, "You were a lot meaner though, before you changed. I've never thought much about it. I mean, I just kind of assumed that's the way Americans are." She shrugged, "You guys have a bit of a stereotype here in Japan, loud and noisy, usually very rude. The way you acted was really just a confirmation of all that!" She laughed a little at that, indicating that it was meant in a joking way. "But seriously though, you're a good person Taylor. I could tell that when I met you."

They showered for a few moments more, Chigusa letting the soap wash off her body and freshening up after Taylor was done. She was done soon after, reaching for her towel and quickly drying off, before wrapping it around herself. She grabbed a second towel on the way out to dry out her hair. "What's that?" Chigusa said when Taylor commented on her size, "Well, they make me look larger than life on TV. I'm not that small though, for a Japanese person." She walked up to Taylor, noticing how to top of her head barely reached Taylor's chin. The two of them were built much in the same way, both were rather thin and slight, wiry would be the right word to describe it. Chigusa thought she filled out a bit more than Taylor, though it was hard to tell behind the towel, and when they took the picture she was too surprised to really notice.

"If we ever got in a fight, you'd definitely have a size advantage over me," Chigusa commented, more to herself than to Taylor, "Would that change anything? Hmm..."

Taylor shook her head. "No. Wouldn't change anything." She said with a smile and a glint in her eye.

She began to dry off and though over what Chigusa had said about love... She'd really never thought of it in terms of love. She didn't know what it was like or when she should call it love. Her and Johnny were really compatible, she liked hanging out with him a lot, and they had lots and lots and lots of ridiculously amazing sex. Did she really need to call it anything? Putting the word love on it just seemed... dangerous. It made her uneasy thinking about it.

"Ya know..." She began, trying to put the rest out of her mind for the moment. "In the States, we'd probably think you were stuck up and uptight and rude. Right? It goes both ways, man, I don't like being called like a stupid American or a loud, obnoxious American. If I'm any of those things I want it to be because of me!"

She toweled off her hair a bit, and pulled the ties out to let her pigtails out. She leaned her head down and tousled it so that it hung nicely and then raked it back out of her face. She went off to find her locker and grab the clothes she wore to the building, and stashed her wet clothes in there for the time being.

As she pulled on her skinny jeans that fit like a second skin and her black Thee Michelle Gun Elephant t-shirt, her mind drifted off to what else Chigusa had said. "Man, I was never mean." Well... "Okay, that's not totally true, probably... But, for real, you don't know what it's like. I've... done a lot of growing up in the last year and a half, so I think I can tell a little bit more now. But you don't know what it's like, man, you just don't. Being so... scared, and shit, no one ever having anything good to say about you. I... uh..." She hesitated. She was suddenly getting way more personal than she intended to. "I still remember the stuff you said to me in the gym."

She sighed. She buckled on a studded black belt and added her 'Kaze' bracelet on one wrist and a buckled black leather bracelet on the other. Then she pulled on a pair of tall black boots and began lacing them up the front. "I dunno, man. I talk a lot of shit, but all of you guys should hear some of the things you say."

She got up and tossed her wet hair back, closed her locker and headed for the door. "I'm gonna go see what's next for this thing. I like talking to fans and stuff, they're always so well behaved."

"Hmm..." Chigusa said, "You have a good point. I really don't know what it's like... I've been basically following the path that's been laid out in front of me for a long time now, I kinda know already everything that's going to happen. I never had to go through what you have." She looked over at Taylor. "But that doesn't mean I can't try to understand." She reached inside her locker and pulled out some clean underwear, dropping the towel and pulling it on.

"Honestly, I feel bad for what I said to you. I wish we started on a better note than that," Chigusa said. She pulled out a tank top, pulling that over her head as well. "But you were being particularly nasty that day as well, considering those things you said. I didn't understand half of it, but I get that you don't appreciate my work too much. That hurts you know."

She pulled out a pair of white stockings, pulling those on over her legs, and then pulling out a short skirt that reached halfway down her thighs. "I know lots of people don't like my music. I know that it's mostly because of good fortune that I am where I am. But at least appreciate the art!" Her voice rose in intensity. "That's all that matters, you know? The performance, the art, the adulation of the crowd, that's all that matters! And that's enough for me. At least try to appreciate my work."

She kicked on her shoes, then pulled out a light yellow blouse, buttoning it up over the tank top, locking the rest of her clothes behind her. She let out a sigh, deflating a little as if she finally got a lot of her frustration out. "I don't care if I lose, so long as people know I do what I do because I love my work," Chigusa said, shaking her head a little, "Nobody sees that though. Only Megumi, and Tomomi, and Drake do." She walked with Taylor over to the door, pushing it open to head back out to the expo hall.

Taylor snorted. "Yeah, only they can appreciate what you do. Look I'm not gonna apologize for not liking your J-Pop, but dude, seriously. You of all people can't go around bitching about being unappreciated. I put in like over a year before I got a fan, okay?"

She walked with Chigusa back out into the swarming event floor. After a moment, her frustration boiled over again and she kept going. "And come on, I practically came out and told you that I was, like... ya know. A fan, and stuff. I mean, I watched your matches before I was even officially on the roster. We're both on the small side, right, and I tried to watch all the people that sort of fit my style. I dunno, man, it's like you've got everything you ever wanted handed to you and you're still trying to play it like poor Chigusa, never gets any respect, blah blah blah." She took another moment to cool off.

"But... you kinda caught me at a bad moment that first day. Or... I guess I caught you, didn't I?" She blushed and looked down sheepishly. "Sorry about that, I guess."

She found an AFW event coordinator and asked him where she was supposed to be, and he pointed off to a table set up a few rows down and held up all ten fingers. She went back to Chigusa.

"Okay, I guess they want me for this panel Q&A thingy. It's not easy being the champ." She said ironically with a wry smile. It was obvious she didn't hold her position in any more esteem than was necessary. "I dunno what big shots like you are doing next."

Chigusa felt a little ashamed when Taylor spoke, since the girl was right, Chigusa had no right to complain about being under appreciated. She really had no right to complain at all. But what she really wanted wasn't something that could be explained easily. "I want to be appreciated by you," Chigusa said softly, hoping Taylor wouldn't hear that, and certainly hoping she wouldn't take it the wrong way. Chigusa just wanted the both of them to get along. She could get along with almost everyone in this league, and she wished Taylor would do so as well.

"It's alright, you were going through a rough time," Chigusa said forgivingly, "Getting started is always the hardest part. You never know if the people will like you or not. But you keep at it, and eventually they do! I'm glad you stuck it through Taylor. It would be a great loss if you left early on."

A helper ran over to Chigusa, gently grabbing her arm and whispering something in her ear. Chigusa listened and nodded. "Yes, alright," she said. She looked back at Taylor. "I'll have to catch you later," she said, "There's an interview I should've been at five minutes ago." She quickly left with the stagehand.

The two of them headed over to one of the less noisy areas, where they stood against a backdrop of the expo proceedings. The interviewer quickly came up, and a camera did as well, broadcasting the proceedings. They were a little behind schedule, so they sped through the early questions, slowing down at some of the later ones.

"So, Ms. Yuuki, I want to ask your opinion on the Entropy championship and the current champion," the interviewer said, "What do you think of AFW's attempt to bring light to underdog talents? And do you think Taylor Parker is good enough to hold it?"

Chigusa paused. "I like the idea of the Entropy belt," she said, "There's tons of girls with lots of talent who don't get shown very much, and the Entropy belt helps them get some visibility. I hate to see talent getting wasted." She took a breath. " As for Taylor... the girl definitely gets the 'most improved' award. I've seen her matches, and she's strong. Much stronger than in the beginning."

"Do you think you can beat her in a fight?"

Chigusa blinked. That question really came as a big surprise to the idol. "Well... I don't know," she said, "I've sparred with her once, a long time ago... I've never properly fought her before." She thought for a moment. Then she nodded. "Yes, yes I think I could!" she said, "She models her fighting style a lot after mine, and the master never loses to the pupil. I can beat her, sure!"

There was still some time before Taylor was needed on the panel, so the event coordinator led her to a booth where she could hang out and talk to fan. It suited Taylor just fine, she loved talking to the fans. They were always so nice. That was one thing Japan had over the States. While the US fans were never half as bad as the rest of the world made them out to be, the super respectful Japanese fans always made the experience so nice for her.

Not all of the fans around cared, but she got the feeling that just about all of them knew who she was. That was weird. She didn't know if she'd ever get used to the amount of fame that Avalanche and the Entropy title had brought her, which was nothing compared to someone like Akashi.

She greeted all the fans she could, signed a long string of autographs, and then sat down and began to just chit chat and hang out. It seemed like some of the fans knew more about the AFW than she did.

"I saw you with Yuuki-san, are you friends? You would make an awesome tag team!" Said one fan.

"What? No we wouldn't, shut up. What could possibly make you think that we'd make a good team? I already have a tag partner, and I would never trade her for anyone. Ever. Me and Chigusa would just kill each other, anyway."

"Are you going to have a match against her? Do you think you could beat her?" Asked another.

"Not that I know of... Dude. Come on. Do you guys think I could beat her?" Taylor asked. Their reactions were a bit more mixed than she would've liked. "Dude! Come on! Of course I can beat her! I could do it every day of the week! Man, you guys, you're getting me all riled up, you better hope I don't throw down right here with you!" Taylor joked and stood up out of her chair, shaking out her arms and legs like she was limbering up for a fight.

"Can we talk about something other than little miss Yuuki-san? Anyone else, man. Who do you guys think I should fight next to defend my title?" She asked in an attempt to change the subject. It worked. She wondered how much longer it was until the panel thing started, whatever that was. Couldn't be too long now.