Back To Work

Taylor recoiled in horror at the idea. She did NOT kiss Tai, or anyone RESEMBLING Tai, and she wasn't even in the ring when that tag match ended, Akashi was the one who- oh wait, the other match. In the gym. But she still didn't...

Well, shit, she did kiss him. "Goddammit." She said without explanation, and then shut her mouth for a moment. "That was just a victory kiss, a'right? Don't let it go to your head."

To make matters worse, Taylor couldn't deny that Tai was a little cute. When he was in shape. Not this Tai. Not at all.

"You know what's cheaper than pizza? Carrots. And potatoes and cucumbers and kale and spinach and all the other wonderful stuff you're going to have to get used to." She said, keeping her eyes forward while she put one foot in front of the other. "And if I even hear about you eating anything resembling crappy food, we're done. If you want to do this, you have to do it all the way. If you do it half way, what are you going to do, win half a match? Of course, you'll be fighting girls anyway, and don't even get me started on that."

A large part of that remark was directed in her head at Johnny. She was free to indulge her frustrations with his line of work now that they were separate. Taylor knew perfectly well how the hentai types defended what they did. Akashi did it until she was blue in the face, going on about how it takes just as much skill and work and discipline and blah, blah, blah. It was all pure bullshit. Having sex was the easiest thing in the world. NOT having sex was a lot harder, they should have a hentai league for THAT.

She sighed. She'd forgotten to set the timer, but she figured Tai had had enough of a rest. She reached over to his treadmill. "Ready for the workout?" She asked, and set the treadmill for a fairly steep incline at a very demanding pace. Partly just to compensate for Tai bringing up that... incident.

"Go until I say stop. If you fall off, you fall off, then suck it up and get back on." She said, her voice stern, almost harsh. Her humor had all but left her lately, and if she was perfectly honest, training Tai was a way to compensate for not being able to train herself. She kept an eye on Tai while he ran, trying to discern mental weakness from physical limitation, watching for the moment where his body genuinely was spent.

Tai couldn't resist the evil smirk on his face as she recoiled at remembering their first match. Her sudden curse just confirmed it for him.

"Right, no bad food. Back to Boiled Cod and raw broccoli. Still, better then grease at least."

Tai cocked his head at her last comment.

"Man, you really hate the hentai league don't you? Well if its worth anything to you, I plan on waiting a good long while before I step into a hentai match again."

Tai would soon regret his earlier comment about the kiss however, as Taylor seemed to be wanting to punish him for it by putting in this new and rather difficult program for the treadmill, the incline much steeper and speed much faster then before. Tai nodded in response and started jogging briskly, soon forced to run as the speed increased a little more. This continued for a bit, Tai having recovered some energy back from his break period. At one point, a few minutes in and starting to get more then just a little tired, Tai went to wipe some sweat off his brow, only for the motion to move him off balance just enough for him to stumble. Combined with the machines incline and speed, he fell stomach first onto the treadmill, getting tossed back onto the cement floor of the gym, his gut actually offering a small bit of cushion as he stopped about a foot away, shaking his head.

He didn't bitch though, surprisingly, instead getting up and dusting himself off before getting back on the treadmill. After a while though, forehead and top of his shirt were getting covered with sweat, the pudgy male having to grab the front bar of the treadmill to keep himself steady as he kept running, his breath getting ragged and panting as his legs started to burn. To his credit, he didn't say a word though, mainly due to not having the ability to talk at the moment.

Taylor didn't turn to look when Tai suddenly and disastrously disappeared form the treadmill, she just kept walking, eyes ahead, and waited to see if he'd come back. She didn't feel like laughing at him, which was a shame. That would've been a good opportunity, although in his current state she didn't know if she'd have the heart to do it.

She watched him out of the corner of her eye, listened to his breathing become more and more labored, watched him struggle. Eventually, she reached out and lowered the incline and the speed a little, to make it easy enough that he could keep going. Training the body was important, but to do it properly, and to accomplish anything at all, you had to toughen the mind. You had to be relentless.

"Don't stop." She said. "If you can keep going, don't ever stop." She didn't want to come off as encouraging, at least not on first day. She was going to make him earn every bit of her time.

Over the next couple weeks, their sessions composed of brutal cardio work and overall fitness with just enough of a rest in the week to keep Tai from losing his gains. Over time, Taylor found herself softening a little. She had to be a little impressed by Tai's new work ethic, though part of it she figured was the little voice in the back of his head that said he still had a shot with her, Chigusa or not. Still, here he was, two weeks later, still showing up.

Taylor came early to the gym to try to put in a stretch, and she didn't want Tai to see her struggle or figure out exactly how much pain she'd been in. It didn't go terribly well, but she took a long, hot shower and emerged a little more relaxed, clad in a bright blue tank top and little white shorts, with a couple vertical stripes that ended at the V-shaped notches on each side, and with sneakers and white tube socks with three blue stripes around the top. She felt pretty okay, considering. All this training, even if she wasn't getting to do much, was helping her feel better.

Still, she tapped her foot impatiently and folded her arms while she waited for Tai. She couldn't let him think she was softening up on him.

Tai nodded in response, taking the advice to heart.

The next couple weeks were rough for the former 2 time hentai champion, Taylor was a very hard trainer, forcing him to give her everything he had during every session, often not stopping until he was drenched in sweat, his legs shaking with every step, and he was dry heaving into a bucket. So far, he had been given a total of one day off, due to him accidentally throwing his back out during a difficult stretch. She let him work a half session the next day, but then went full force on him again afterwords.

The diet she had him one was working wonders in tandem with his exercise however, as in just the past two and a half weeks he had lost over 12 pounds, his formerly pudgy stomach now less then it was, though he still had a bit of a gut, being 18 pounds overweight was better then being 30. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before his body was back to its lean and sexy swimmers form.

Speaking of bodies, Tai had to admit he was admiring Taylor more and more during the last couple weeks. He had gotten curious on his day off and looked up everything that had happened in AFW since he left. He wasn't an idiot, he could tell that Taylor was injured and taking it easy in the gym because of it, but he had no clue of the extent of the injury until he looked up her recent matches online.

And yet she came everyday and managed to do a bit of a workout of her own, while others would be at home taking painkillers. She had to be admired. Of course, were Tai to be honest, part of that admiration was a little voice in his head reminding him of his small attraction to her when they first met, and of that kiss she gave him that day. That was before he met Chigusa of course, whom he loved...but there was still that small, ignored thought in the back of his mind.

He pulled up to the gym, locking up the new bike Taylor insisted he buy and ride to and from the gym each day, despite the fact that he usually left so tired he nearly got hit by cars on the way home. He was dressed in his usual workout clothes, simple dark blue gym shorts and a large white T-shirt, with matching sneakers and ankle socks. He walked inside, grinning and waving at Taylor, who was tapping her foot with an impatient look on her face.

"Hey boss! Check it out! Im only 168 pounds! 18 more to go before Im sexy again!"

He cheered, patting his stomach, sounding a hell of a lot happier then he did a month ago when he first contacted her on the phone. Then he sounded dark and sad, desperate and a little pathetic as he asked for her help. Now he seemed to be coming back to his old self again, often smiling during difficult parts of his cardio work and once even displaying his famous smirk.

Chigusa hadn't heard from Tai in a long time. The last thing she did hear was about how he was going to get everything together and start working out again, to improve himself. She wanted to help him so bad, but he stopped her. She guessed it had something to do with his self-esteem and how he didn't want her to see him. She looked and asked around, but it was like Tai dropped from the face of the Earth. Chigusa was quite busy, but she got increasingly worried about Tai, knowing he wasn't in the best state of mind. Finally, she decided to go look for him and forget about his wishes to be alone.

It took a while, but Chigusa finally found out where and what Tai was doing. Apparently he had taken up training across town, at a different gym, with a personal trainer that was unnamed. Chigusa immediately knew something was up. Tai never mentioned any personal trainer. She knew his playboy tendencies well enough to know that this was bad news. She hoped Tai wouldn't cheat on her, but she couldn't quite be sure of these things.

So one day, when Chigusa had time, she made her way across town to this gym. She wasn't exactly dressed to work out, wearing denim shorts and a t-shirt with a short-sleeved gray cardigan. Of course, she wasn't here to work out. She needed to see what was happening. It was probably nothing, but if something was up Chigusa thought she needed to know.

She pushed open the door to the gym, stepping inside and looking around for a moment to find Tai. She saw him a moment later, though she almost didn't recognize who he was. Tai really did change; he had gotten fatter and less healthy looking. His hair wasn't pink or spiked anymore. He looked very different from the normally cheery guy she once dated. Then her gaze shifted over to the person he was with. Chigusa sucked in a breath, her eyes widening.

"Taylor? Oh no..." Chigusa said. Her hands clenched into fists as she stood there, watching them, shaking. She didn't know whether to run away or to confront them, whether to think of this as nothing, or to fear for the worst. Chigusa took a deep breath to calm herself, trying to think rationally, but rationality seemed to escape her at the moment. She slowly moved forward into the gym, then faster and faster, practically running for a moment before coming to a stop near the two of them.

"I-I..." Chigusa said, seemingly at a complete loss for words, "W-what's going on here? Tai... why are you with Taylor?"

Taylor watched Tai come through the doors and stroll up to her. The progress they'd made... he'd made... was obvious, and that was some manner of accomplishment for Taylor. All things considered, she needed it.

"Hey." She said. "You look... better." She very specifically didn't want Tai, or herself, to think anything of her tiny compliment. "I thought today we'd-"

Then there was Chigusa. Taylor could imagine what this meant, and anything that Chigusa could think was up would only be terrible for Taylor's dignity. How humiliating would it be for her to think that Taylor would be messing around with Tai, of all people.

She raised an eyebrow at her. "Hey, Chigusa. You're just in time, wanna get beat up a little bit?"

Tai grinned as he took the small compliment. Such small things were rare from Taylor and he couldn't help but feel proud that he had earned this compliment, however small it was.

He was listening intently for her instruction...when he heard a familiar voice, turning around to see his girlfriend, Chigusa Yuuki standing in front of them, staring at him with a confused look on her face.

"C..Chigusa..."

He stammered out, clearly shocked at her appearance...and ashamed of his, the still pudgy male trying to back away a little, looking between his trainer and girlfriend.

"W..What are you....How did you even...Listen...Wait a minute, Its not what it looks like..."

He stumbled out, moving away from Taylor.

"Look, she's just my trainer alright? She's just been helping me with...stuff"

He finished, moving to get behind a nearby weight machine, not wanting Chigusa to see him like this.

Chigusa wasn't even focusing on Taylor at the moment. She didn't want to talk to her, since she knew that this wouldn't be Taylor's idea. Tai was the one who suggested this, and he was the one who should answer for it. Chigusa gritted her teeth, trying her best not to cry. She felt betrayed. She put her faith in Tai for him to be faithful, and to her, everything she had seen so far, it seemed like he had done nothing but spit on her trust.

"Taylor-san... this is between me and Tai," Chigusa said, "Please don't make things any worse." Her voice was quiet and measured, though it was more due to how she was trying to keep things under control than her actually being calm.

"Tai... I don't understand..." Chigusa said, "Why are you here with her? You disappear for months... and then suddenly I find out you've been training... and then I see you with Taylor. What's the meaning of this? Are you trying to get rid of me or something?" Chigusa's voice was starting to rise as her emotions bubbled out. Her face turned red, and her lips started to quiver a little bit.

"W-what kind of stuff has she been helping you out with?! Huh? Tell me Tai!"Chigusa said, her voice rising to almost a shout.

Tai sighed as Chigusa looked like she was about to cry, coming out from behind the machine and going up to her to softly hold her hand.

"Look Chigusa, trust me, nothing is going on between me and Taylor. Even when I was sexy she didn't want anything to do with me, so she certainly wouldn't want me looking like this."

He stated, wanting to get that out of the way.

"Now yes...I avoided you. I avoided everyone for a really long time. I had been utterly humiliated in the ring for a long time and I had to face that I had no skill outside of sex matches. I was depressed, I let myself fall apart and I didn't want anyone, especially somebody I cared about, seeing me like that."

He continued, rubbing her hand a little.

"Finally, when I had enough of feeling sorry for myself and decided to change things and get back into training to finally improve myself, I called you to let you know. I know you offered to help me...and I appreciate it, I do...but I couldn't have you train me. Look, your a great wrestler, you are, I mean it. But, your my girlfriend...You would have been too soft on me."

He sighed before continuing.

"You would have given me plenty of breaks and made sure I was comfy and eventually we would've just ended up having sex...maybe. I was pretty fat so maybe not...but still, you wouldn't have pushed me the way I needed."

He moved his arm, pointing at Taylor.

"That is why I called Taylor. Taylor hates me. I annoy her. She hates that I have no skills except for Hentai ones. She want's nothing to do with me. That's why hiring her as my trainer was perfect. She wouldn't show me any mercy, she wouldn't allow me to do a weak workout, or to give anything other then 100 percent every time I came in here. She's been helping me get back in shape, I've already lost almost half of my weight gain. She is the kind of trainer I needed, one who would push me beyond my limits, who could break me down and build me back up better then before."

Tai sighed now...this was something he didn't really want to say.

"Plus...babe...your a great wrestler, but your also an entertainer, an Idol, a singer, even a bit of modeling. I needed someone who had one focus, wrestling. I needed someone who didn't have any distractions and who didn't bother with hentai or playing to the crowd. Taylor is perfect for that."

Tai gave Chigusa a hug, still talking.

"I know...I know...I should have told you all this before...but I just didn't want you to see me like this. Chigusa... I'm not who I was, and I couldn't handle the thought of you or my family or anyone I cared about seeing me as the pathetic sad mess that I had become...so for that...I'm sorry. But...I felt it was what I had to do."

"Can you understand that...and forgive me?"

Taylor folded her arms and took a step back. She kept quiet while she let Tai and Chigusa do their thing, for the most part at least.

"Wow, this is a real touching reunion." She said sarcastically, and brushed her long, black bangs out of her face. "Why don't you tell Yuuki a few more reasons why I'm better than her, I'm sure she'd like to hear those."

Honestly, Taylor felt a little defensive for Chigusa. The two had something of a mutual professional respect. Once they had cleared the air a bit, Taylor had found that she could actually get along with her, which she wasn't expecting, given how stuck up and silver spoon-y she was. Of course, she could only make things worse, but she didn't have the self restraint to just excuse herself entirely while they were talking about her.