Satoru Kido vs. Songbird

Songbird managed to get Kido off, but the pin count was complete to ensure that the guy had the victory. She would sigh in disappointment, but it didn't matter, it was just a match anyway. Getting back up, she would smile as she came over to Kido and said, "What happened, Kido? Why, you won of course!" And with that, she would help him get back up and hug him to congratulate him.

"I... did...?" he'd ask in slight disbelief.

He felt that he couldn't really remembered what happened after he tried to pin her for the second time. Everything went black for a while until he heard the bell rang. As Songbird helped to get him on his feet and hug him, he felt a little sting from his back and inadvertently let out a gasp.

"O-oww..." he grimaced a bit. Fortunately the pain only last for a while.

Songbird would slowly release her hug as she said, "You did a good job out there, Kido. I was very impressed by your skills. Maybe you DO have it takes to be in the federation." She would turn to the crowds and raise up Kido's arm to show that he was the victor. In that moment, no one knew what to say or do since it was not very often where you see a fighter accept grace and congratulate the winner. Then, the crowd started to cheer for both Kido and Songbird for such an exciting match.

Kido's face remained expressionless as she praised him and raised his arms. He felt... strange. Winning the match didn't really matter that much for him. But her sportive attitude was definitely something he never really seen on the streets.

"It's just... a fluke," he'd say while looking down as if he felt slightly embarrassed being declared as winner in front of the crowds. "I believe you're the better fighter, Songbird-san," he'd add as he slowly raised his face to look at her.

Songbird still smiled as she looked into Kido's eyes. "Hey, I can't always be at the top. There's always someone out there who would put me down for a while. Besides, I haven't quite learned to take in the pain after a back suplex." She would give a little kiss on the cheek and added, "Just keep doing your best, Satoru, and I'll always be rooting for ya."

The boy froze completely as she kissed his cheek. He could feel that he blushed a bit, not expecting her to did that. After a second he'd snapped and immediately averted his gaze from her.

"Aa...t-thanks...Songbird-san..." he'd say with obvious hint of nervousness. "Although... to be honest I didn't really think about that... back suplex at all... It's like my body moving on its own at that time."

Songbird giggled over Kido's reaction to the kiss and replied, "Well, it's often best to go with your gut at that point. You can think up many good moves, but your body has to adapt to the situation and go with what's best." Patting his shoulder, she would add, "Just keep yourself together and you'll be alright. I'll see you around." With that, she would start to walk away.

"Y-yeah, I guess," he replied, still trying to get over the kiss. "S-see you around..." He stared at Songbird for a while as she started to walk away.

"Um..." he'd began to speak in a rather low voice. "Earlier you asked why I decided to came here..." the boy paused a bit as if he's thinking over his decisions to answer her question truthfully this time.

"I'm looking for some things... that I couldn't find in the streets," he'd continued. "I'm not really sure what are those things, but I guess self-preservation is one among them. When I was fighting with you near the corner, I almost lose control of myself. I... don't want that to happen again." His face would became slightly grim as if he's feeling bad about it.

As Songbird continued walking, she would stop as she heard Kido's reasoning for coming to AFW. "Self-preservation? That's a pretty tall order." She would look back and smiled to reassure him. "I'm sure you'll be fine, Kido. Believe me, in time you'll learn how to control yourself. You're not alone on this, you know."

"I know," Kido replied, a faint smile appeared on his face.

As Songbird smiled to him and said her words, he felt a sense of relief. She seemed like a nice person. There was something else he wanted to add, but he decided not to do so. Maybe not today. Perhaps when he got to know her better he'd tell her about one of the other things he's looking for. The boy would begin to walk sluggishly towards the edge of the ring before slowly stepping down to the ground and head towards the exit.