Cassandra Grace vs Megumi Mutoh

Cassie couldn't remember a time when she'd ever been more nervous. The last week had turned everything she thought about her wrestling career upside down, changing managers, changing her look, her attitude, learning to work as a heel. It was all just for fun anyway, kinda, so it couldn't really hurt anyone. Right? It was competition, but... as long as they both fought hard and shook hands afterward everything would be okay. She wouldn't do anything really bad, anyway.

She stood backstage, her mind racing with thoughts of all the new tactics she'd been practicing. She wore a yellow sweatshirt with a big sunflower on the front over her new ring gear, which didn't match at all. It was a lustrous black leotard, made out of something like vinyl, cut high on the hips, with a long sleeves and loops that hooked over her thumbs and a deep, plunging, attention-grabbing neckline that cleaved her young breasts and stopped just under her belly button. A fine blood red mesh filled in the V, so as not to show too much skin. A red sash was tied around her waist, knotted over her hip, with tails about a foot long that hung over her leg. Black boots came all the way up to her knees, each with a red fang-like stripe down the outside. To top it all off, her short hair was dyed black, and she'd applied some extra makeup including some black eyeliner. Her own dad wouldn't have recognized her. Her mom would.

Mamouru was seated next to her, and they both awaited their cue to go out. Cassie stood silently, nearly frozen in place. "I think it's gonna be alright." She said, and just saying it helped. She believed it, really. It wasn't a big deal. Just another match, she had to go out there and have fun. She took a deep breath and put on a smile for Mamouru.

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUGzY-ihqWc:2dxddzbg]Her new music[/url:2dxddzbg] signaled her turn to head for the ramp, and she shrugged off her sweatshirt. "I think I'll be alright." She said to Mamouru, and walked off, pausing just behind the curtain for a deep breath before walking out onto the ramp. She was a little stiff, a little reserved, but the crowd reacted like they'd never seen her before. Most of them probably hadn't. That made it a little easier.

As she began her walk down the ramp, some eager fans, who only cared that she was a wrestler and didn't at all mind that they didn't know her, held out the hands to her for the customary high-fives. Cassie cautiously extended a hand, but just before she would've slapped palms with the boy she pulled her hand away. The look of confusion and disappointment on his face egged her on, and she cocked her head to the side and gave him a dirty look. She only barely stayed in character. This was fun.

She walked in the very middle of the ramp and clutched her arms against her chest, covering her V-neckline and keeping herself as far away from eager fans as possible. "Hands to yourselves, please!" She demanded in an annoyingly stiff voice. She actually got someone to boo as she passed, and she cracked a smile for just a moment before she erased it. She walked up the ring steps, all prim and proper, and ducked under the middle rope. She went to her corner to await her opponent.

Mamouru Higurashi was less nervous than Cassie had been. The journey had been stressful but now that they were standing on the mountain, the view was pleasant and calming. Mamouru turned to Cassie and blushed a bit. In more ways than one. He nodded and smiled at her.

"Of course. You'll do wonderfully, Cassie-san." He paused and chuckled. "I mean, Cassandra-sama." He was dressed in a sharp tuxedo, his undershirt red to match Cassie's uniform's trim. He had a red rose pinned elegantly on his lapel and his hair was slicked back smartly.

When Cassie walked out, Mamouru fallowed softly behind her. He could definitely help her out during this portion of the "match and he strolled casually from one side of the ramp to the other, making sure "Cassandra Grace" was not subjected to the eyes of these unwashed masses. He smacked away outstretched hands and scoffed at the fans.

"You're not fit to look at Cassandra-sama." He said to an ogling male, who booed loudly and threatened to knock his block off. It felt good. He strolled into the ring after Cassie, scooping up a microphone as he did. "Ladies and gentleman." He said briefly. "Please direct your unworthy eyes to the newest addition to the AFW. Behold, Cassandra Grace! Now, grovel before her and be thankful you will be able to witness her talent!"

He tossed the microphone and walked to Cassie and leaned close to her. "You're fine. Just remember. Use your talent and if things get dicey, don't be afraid to knee her between the legs or pull her hair or gouge her eyes. But, use your talent first. The rest is just for looks. Just to get you used to the big time. Good Luck, Cassie-san. I'll be at ring side the whole time cheering you on.

Having seen all that she needed to see from Drake's spying assignment, Megumi learned quite a few things about both Mamoru and Cassie. And she didn't like any of it. She sat backstage, fiddling around with her standard ring costume, the blood-red skirt she wore, musing to herself. Both Hitomi and Drake were all present, he was here to listen to the final reports and they were going to make them. Megumi felt rather smug about hers, as Mamoru's actions to her vindicated everything she thought about him. And most importantly, Cassie was better off without him as her manager.

"Well Hitomi-san, what's your final thoughts?" Drake asked. Megumi sat back, content that Hitomi would give a scathing review after what happened with Mamoru

"I don't approve of it," Hitomi said, "After all that I've seen, it seems that during the week instead of growing closer, they've just become completely apart. I mean, the original motivation was to give Cassie a manager that could be her friend, right? Something that is different from our relationship. But I don't think that worked, considering how different Mamoru and Cassie are. Plus he's trying to turn her into a heel, which seems rather stupid to me." She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I mean, I could go on about... that... but I won't. I'm not going to be judgmental, and it doesn't affect my decision."

Drake nodded. "That's impressive of you Hitomi, good work. Now then, it should be time for the match to start..."

"Wait!" Megumi said, standing up, "Aren't you going to listen to my report?" She was about to continue, but Drake silenced her with a wave of his hand.

"I'm sure there will be plenty of time after the match," Drake said, "Besides, your role isn't done yet. I want to hear your opinion after everything"

He turned and left, with Hitomi following. Megumi's frown deepened, before letting out a sigh and throwing up her hands. She waited a few more minutes, fuming, before getting called out to enter the ring. She quickly put on her best composure, trying to look happy for the crowd despite the frustrations and misgivings she felt.

The crowd gave a far larger cheer when Megumi walked out on the ramp, waving at the crowd and smiling, her [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FofBGvUi6g&feature=related:2ux7mfz0]music[/url:2ux7mfz0] playing over the speakers. Megumi really could act, as she showed no signs of her inner turmoil at all. As she walked down the ramp, she slowly came to terms and made a decision. She was going to give it her all in this match, despite it being Cassie, no matter what happened. If Cassie got hurt, tough luck. And she was going to pin it all on Mamoru's incompetence. With that cruel thought in mind, Megumi hopped up onto the ring apron and leapt over the top ropes, landing with an intimidating thud on the ring. She bounced a little, shaking herself out, completely serious now.

"Alright, lets get this show on," Megumi said to herself, stepping forward and offering a handshake to Cassie, almost as a test to see how much of Mamoru's wrong teaching's rubbed off on her.

Cassie smiled when she saw Megumi, though she tried not to. They were never exactly friends, she wasn't sure if Megumi liked her at all, but she'd spent some time around her and the rest of Drake's girls. Cassie never felt like she fit in, really, they were such a tight-knit group and she wasn't like them...

To look at them now, anyone would agree with that. Cassie tried to think of something to do to make people boo or something, but she could only stand still and quietly watch Megumi make her entrance. She was going to be alright, she was surprisingly relaxed given the circumstances. Once they got into it she'd be fine, she just had to get her hands on Megumi and get her down and grapple circles around her until she could make her tap. No one in eclipse could hang with her there, and she'd already had a match with Hitomi.

Megumi hit the mat, and Cassie was staring across the ring at her. Now she was nervous. Megumi was the toughest of the bunch, maybe the meanest, and the biggest, and her style was exactly the sort Cassie hated. Her black hair and eyeliner did little to hide her fear as she trembled on the far side of the ring.

Cassie nodded to Megumi and meekly walked up to meet her. She looked down at Megumi's hand. This was her big chance! She just had to do to her what she did to Mamouru in practice...

"It's really good to see you." She said sincerely and gave Megumi's hand a firm shake. Oops. She slapped her palm against her forehead, and then turned to walk back toward her corner. What did she just do?

When the bell rang, she came out and settled into her stance, took a few deep breaths, and tried to focus.

Seeing Cassie accept the handshake, Megumi knew that Mamoru's training didn't rub off on her that much at all. That was good news; it meant that his idiocy wouldn't hurt Cassie all that much. The girl quickly picked up that she was doing something wrong however, quickly backing off. Megumi could tell that Cassie was extremely unused to doing this and had no real idea of how to act, and that she was beyond nervous at this point. The girl had no idea what Megumi was planning on doing.

The bell rang, and Megumi stepped out of her corner. She didn't say anything to Cassie, just slowly moving out and circling her. Megumi knew how Cassie fought; she was probably one of the best technical grapplers in the league. It would be very unwise to get into a tangle with her. Still, she was small, tiny in fact. And she lacked real ring experience. And thanks to Mamoru's training she was off balance and completely unsure of herself. Weighing the options, Megumi decided to try and open with a big attack, just to see how good Cassie's reflexes are, and to see if Mamoru's training did her any good.

"Alright Cassie, lets go!" Megumi yelled, suddenly running in. She stopped a few feet short of Cassie, leaving just enough room to throw out a powerful kick at Cassie's head, fully extending her leg as she sent her heel right at Cassie's forehead, holding nothing back!

The more Cassie tried to settle down and clear her head, the more her mind raced. She kept running through everything, all the new things she had to try, all the different situations and positions and what she'd do now... It was a lot to keep track of. It didn't feel natural.

She just had to remember that the whole reason she did this was to try to get out of her own way and stop being so nice in the ring. If she wanted to have a career and win matches, she couldn't cut her opponent's so much slack. She had to be able to go for the kill.

Megumi charged, and Cassie got a little lower, ready to intercept her. Her first reaction was to change levels and shoot a takedown and catch her before she could react, and if she wasn't thinking about it that's what she would've done. Megumi threw her kick and Cassie hesitated, just for a split second.

"Oh..." There was no getting out of the way. Megumi's big red boot slammed into Cassie face and blasted her off her feet. She landed sprawled out on her back, eyes closed and dazed. One hand eventually found it's way to her forehead and she let out a low groan.

"Uunh..."

Megumi almost felt bad that she started off with such a big attack. The kick took Cassie off her feet and sent her sprawling. It was almost as if she was caught completely unawares. Well no, not completely. Cassie had a defensive stance up, and had Megumi been a little slower she might've been able to protect herself from that move. But she wasn't able to. Megumi knew that if it had been before, Cassie might've stopped it. The girl had good instincts. Had working with Mamoru dulled her that much?

Unfortunately for Cassie being nice wasn't on the agenda either for Megumi. She was out to prove something tonight, not exactly to her, but to her stupidhead manager. Megumi wanted to show Mamoru something, like what would happen in his ward really got badly hurt. She needed to show him that he wasn't ready for this, that he would never be ready for this. It was unfortunate that Cassie had to be a casualty. Megumi quickly stepped in and grabbed Cassie by the arms. She pulled her up, trying not to yank too hard so as not to hurt her unduly, despite the fact that she wasn't going to hold back.

"I'm sorry Cassie," Megumi whispered as she pulled her up. Before the girl could get her bearings, Megumi would send a quick knee into her slim waist to knock whatever air was left in her out, and keep her doubled over. Then she would grab Cassie's waist, pulling her up and rolling her onto her shoulders, setting her up for an extremely high powerbomb, before dropping down and slamming her backfirst onto the mat, folding her up into a pin!

Once the shock began to wear off, the pain became almost unbearable. Her head throbbed. It felt like her brain was going to explode out of her ears. She let out another pathetic groan, and then she was being pulled up to her feet.

"Wha... For what?" She responded, only half aware. The knee took the air out of her and doubled her over, and she gasped as she almost fell down to her knees. She wasn't ready for this.

The arena turned upside down as Cassie was dizzily hoisted up in the air. Once she was right-side-up again, almost sitting on Megumi's shoulders, she realized that she'd been in this position before. There was a momentary feeling of dread, and she squeezed her eyes shut and braced for what was coming.

The crowd gasped as Megumi finished the horrifying powerbomb. Cassie's back slammed into the mat and the back of her head bounced once before lolling to one side. She was totally out of it while the ref mercifully wasted no time counting the pin.

"One! Two! Three!"

The crowd roared and cheered for Megumi, some of them laughed at Cassie. Cassie lay sprawled out and almost motionless on the mat under Megumi.

Mamouru had watched the scene. He wanted to shout but all he could do was watch. When Cassie took the hand and shook i, he wanted to scream out "kick her in the gut!" But she just politely squeezed it back. When Megumi went for the kick, he knew she should sprawl but she just ate it. It was a mess. He almost had to turn away when Megumi set her up in the power bomb. It was too gruesome. He clenched his teeth as he watched her.

Maybe he should have hopped up on the apron and tried to distract Megumi? It didn't really matter. Cassie was probably out for a good minute. When the three count hit, Mamouru stepped up and slid between the ropes. He ran for Cassie and wanted to be sure she wasn't seriously injured. In that instant, he didn't care about the match or winning or losing, just making sure Cassie was ok as his heart raced.

"Cassie-san! Cassie-San!" He called out as he knelt next to her and looked down at her face.

Megumi stepped back after securing the pin and the win, the referee coming over and raising her arm in victory as the crowd cheered. This was probably the fastest match that had ever occured in the AFW, barely lasting a minute. The fans seemed a little dejected, hoping for a little bit more. But unlike the heels in this league, Megumi wasn't willing to toy with her opponents. She could be harsh and brutal if she wanted, but she always tried to end things cleanly.

With Cassie out and Mamoru tending to her, Megumi stepped back and let him soak in his mistakes. She wanted him to see the results of his training for a moment, before chewing him out. As the paramedics came in to carry Cassie backstage to the medical wards, Megumi stepped back in and grabbed Mamoru firmly, pulling him in close.

"Come with me," she said into his ear. She released Mamoru afterwards, taking a few steps back before turning and heading out of the ring, expecting Mamoru to follow her.