Determined to Win!

The lights inside of the AFW Arena were low as the crowd murmured in anticipation of the next event. Soon the lights flashed on and [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ4X7tly9Uo:wdu0hbv7]a song began to play.[/url:wdu0hbv7] The crowd began to roar as they heard Kamikaze's music began to play. Neither Akashi nor Taylor had been seen together since their loss to Hard velocity a few months ago. Both had been in crushing defeats lately as well, with Taylor losing her Entropy title to Brittany Luvve and being out of action. While Akashi had fallen just short of claiming the Hentai Division title not so long ago. There had been rumors that the duo had a falling out, but the fans hoped, as the music began to play, that this would be the reuniting of one of the most anticipated and exhilarating tag teams in the AFW.

Akashi came out of the gate, microphone in hand. She was wearing her usual wrestling outfit which consisted of a leopard print mawashi sash and a green sports bra. She had her fist raised in the air and slapped some hands as she ran by and slid into the ring. With a bright smile on her face, she threw her hands up into the air as the crowd roared. When they settled down, the spotlight immediately went to the arena entrance expecting Taylor to come out but Akashi waved her hand and shook her head.

"No no no no no!" She said into the microphone. "I know what you're all thinking but just hold on a second. I had something I wanted to say that was really important. I know all of you watched my last match and saw how I just fell short of beating Natalia at Summer Splash." The crowd began to fiercely boo Natalia when they heard her name. Akashi shook her head again. "Ok, ok! She fought really hard, she deserves that title. But.. that is what I came here to talk about. Everyone knows it's my goal in life to be the first ever Triple Crown champ at AFW. I had my chance to add another belt to my trophy case but came up short. But! Despite the fact that it was a hard loss, Akashi Tanikaze doesn't give up! She'll climb any rankings! Fight any opponent and take on any comers to achieve her goal! My goal.." She corrected.

"Just because I lost the match doesn't mean I'm giving up my dream! I know I could beat Natalia if we fought again but that's now why I'm here. Let her enjoy her title while she can! No. There's still other belts I want to go after. I've been hit over the head enough times that maybe I should go after the hardcore title..." Akashi smirked. "I'd love to show Cecilia what it's like to face some REAL competition for once!" Akashi smiled rather slyly. "But... i never really cared about that belt too much either. No, I'm here to talk about the Tag Team titles!"

The crowd roared again. "I've always thought that the Tag Team division needed more talent and I want to bring that talent! Kamikaze is the best tag team around. Our loss was a fluke." Akashi paused. "No, that's not totally true. There WAS a reason we lost that match..." Akashi paused and swallowed hard before lowering her head. "Taylor-chan... Taylor parker! She thought that she could play with the big boys and turned our tag team match into a personal grudge match against Heather Sunderland! And you know, I could have stopped it but I wanted her to shine. I thought I could give her a chance to show how big time she was and she BLEW IT! She folded like a cheap chair and cracked under the pressure! Cracked.. heheh..."

Akashi furrowed her brow. "Kamikaze is the best tag team around, but Kamikaze is ME. I'm here to say that I could beat ANY tag team back stage with ANY tag partner of my choosing! So, anyone at all, come on down! I'm all fired up and ready to take on any challenger!I want the whole AFW to know that Taylor's success was thanks to ME!"

Karina was just about ready to leave for tonight, when a new promo showed up on the television. She listened to it while she was looking for her keys, though she was interrupted by a very familiar voice that came from the television. She gazed up and saw Akashi standing there, like she was trying to explain something to the crowd." Heh. Sumo babe, I wonder what's going on... " She found her keys but decided to stick by the TV and watch the entire promo. So apparently she and that other girl separated but Akashi still showed ferocity in her attitude. That pleased Karina, whom stil had some fond memories with Akashi. She shook her head and watched with arms crossed, though soon she raised an eyebrow at the statement Akashi ahd made. Such a bold move and yet.. So tempting.. She took her cellphone out of her bag and went through her contacts for a certain number, finding it an bringing the cellphone to her ear.

" Hey, it's me. An old friend or ours is looking for a tag team match, you up for it? .... ... ..Good, I'll stop by later to discuss it with you. " Now that that was settled, Karina made her way backstage. She decided to take up the offer of Akashi, with a certain partner that people who not expect from Karina. She caught note of the staff members, whom looked at her and gave her a nod. Apparently they already knew why Karina was here, which means that she wouldn't have to go through alot of things to make her presence known. She took a microphone from one of the staff members and signaled for her theme to start and soon enough it did, directed the crowd from Akashi and to the entrance to see who would answer it, and it was none other then Karina Rine.

She brought the microphone to her lips, the music dieing down after they caught notice of it. Karina remained on the ramp while a knowing grin appeared on her face, her eyes only directed to Akashi. " Did you just say you could beat ANY Tag team? " Karina chuckled, stretching one arm up in the air and letting out a teasing yawn. " Well, doesn't that sound like quite a challenge to give! How about me and my partner.. Versus you and yours, hmm? " She would take her steps towards the ring now, confidence was the only thing on Karina's face. " Our first official match.. " She then entered the ring and got up, taking her stance in front of Akashi and leaned in close, just to stare into Akashi's eyes. " ..How about it? "

Akashi stood waiting for a few moments. Her heart began to beat. She was sure that Taylor would show up to bark at her like an angry puppy but when the music began to play, she didn't recognize it one bit. However, the girl that entered was someone she was... intimately... familiar with. Her eyes widened and a blush came over her cheeks as Karina appeared.

"K-Karina-chan!?" She said and then pulled back the mic, raising her head, puffing out her chest and grinning. "Not going to tell me who your partner is?" She asked. She shrugged. "I wasn't expecting you, but a challenge is a challenge. I've been wanting to beat you up in front of a live audience for sometime. I'll go easy on you though. I just want to spank you a little bit for being such a naughty girl all the time!" She smiled wryly at Karina. Really, the two were friends and had no animosity between them, so Akashi was definitely just teasing the girl.

"Maybe you're not the top of the ladder, Karina-chan, but I'll definitely beat you and whatever poor sap you bring with you!" She continued to taunt Karina. if the girl was going to be serious int heir match, she had to get the girl a little riled up!

Instead of throwing something back with words, she suddenly pressed right against Akashi to close the distance between them. That grin on her face only became more daring, seeing that Akashi still had quite an amount of fire that Karina will have to put out. " Go easy on me? I was thinking the same thing for you! I've been wanting to throw you around a little for being such a goody girl all the time! " She basically mimicked Akashi's sentence but put her own vibe on it. She wasn't afraid of Akashi, rather, she was eager to face her. " I'll just show these good people that you are nothing more then my little bitch. "

She didn't lose her eye contact with Akashi, wanting to take every detail in as she called the girl her bitch, though even if it might sound like an insult, that grin on Karina's face only showed that she was trying to get Akashi fired up and excited for the match she proposed, not yet naming who she had as her partner, she was going to make Akashi regret it the moment she would see her.

Akashi blushed as she watched Karina push up against her. She hadn't been expecting such a close encounter. Still, she smirked at Karina as the girl kept her eyes on Akashi the whole time. But Karina said that Akashi would be her bitch and the big Sumo furrowed her brow. She smirked and pushed forward, reaching up to grab Karina's shirt just above her boobs. She stared into the girl's eyes.

"Karina-chan, we can't really have a good match if we go into this on good terms, right?"Akashi would lean in like she was trying to plant a kiss on Karina but then she would suddenly step back and try and throw Karina right out of the ring and onto the mats outside. If she could manage that, then she would pick up the mic and look at where Karina landed.

"Go on! Go get your partner so we can do this! I'm really looking to beat some ass and I'll show you that you picked the wrong time for a friendly spar, Karina-chan!"

Karina almost thought the fight was going to happen right now when she listened to Akashi, but as she leaned in, she started to blush faintly as she thought there was going to be a kiss to ' seal the deal '. However, she was suddenly thrown right out of the ring, barely having any time to make sure she wouldn't be falling on her head, glaring a little more hostile at Akashi. It seemed that Akashi wanted to have fun as soon as possible, that only made Karina more sure that she wanted to do this. " Fine, but don't call me Karina-chan! I'm better then you after all! " She then turned to head back up the ramp and out to fetch her cellphone and call partner up again so they could settle this match as soon as she could. She was going to show Akashi that she had not only improved, but was strong enough to topple the sumo girl, the grin reappearing on her face as she couldn't wait to get started.

The crowd was caught of guard when [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTZPt9nNlRI:2b1tm8ho]Taylor's music[/url:2b1tm8ho] hit. Karina was about halfway up the ramp when Taylor came bounding out, her two black pigtails bouncing along behind her, in skinny jeans, neon green Converse, black fingerless gloves and a black tank top, the straps mingling with bright red bra straps on her shoulders. She flashed the crowd a big, punky grin and struck a pose at the front of the ramp, kicking one foot up behind her and tossing both hands in the air and letting them slowly drift back down like fireworks.

She was amped, she felt ready to just charge down into the ring and beat Akashi down right then and there. Her injury was mostly healed, though the physical demands of a match right then would certainly test her limits. She began to bounce and pace back and forth at the top of the ramp, unable to stand still, moving at a pace significantly higher than that of a normal person.

She paused, and looked down at the ring, and at Akashi, and lifted the mic to her mouth. She giggled. The crowd laughed. She lowered the mic and made a show of stepping to the side with a big gesture with her arms to make way for Karina as she passed by. Otherwise, she ignored her former rival.

"Hey, Kashi!" She crowed with a burst of punk exuberance and a big, killer grin. She skipped across the ramp and then bounced in place. "Good to see ya, champ!" She said, and didn't bother pointing out that Akashi had not only lost her title but failed to win the Hentai belt as well.

"We have so much in common, don't we?" She said, kinetic and sultry and animated. "We both know who wasn't pulling their weight in Kamikaze. We both know we can beat Natalia. There are a few differences, though... See, I actually did beat Natalia. I seem to remember beating her ass." She glanced over at a camera. "Sorry, Princess."

"And what was the problem again with our little team? Hm. That's a good question." She made the exaggerated gesture of putting a finger to her lips and peered up at the ceiling as if in thought. "Well, anyway, there are a lot of things you are that I'm not, and all you guys should know. Like, did you guys know that Akashi Tanikaze, the great Akashi Tanikaze, which is totally a dude's name, by the way, is a coward." A low laugh and she paused. The crowd was quiet.

"Akashi talks a mean game. She gets the big fights. And she will fold up and quit better than any other girl here. At Avalanche, when she threw her match against Gatt, if you zoom in your can see on her face the moment when she decides 'eh... whatever.' She laid down and took that pin because she didn't have what it takes. Still doesn't. Personally, I would've got back up. And you let Natalia roll over you? Please, Kashi, you're pathetic. She hides behind her honor and her sumo stuff so that when she doesn't feel like trying anymore she can just say 'oh, it's honorable to be a pussy and quit'." She said, in an embarrassing impersonation of Akashi.

"Number two!" She shouted. "Akashi is a liar! Akashi told me we were sisters. She said she believed in me. We both know, Akashi, me and you, we both know how not true that is. Akashi wants everyone to think she's great, and she'd like you to believe that I'm the one who was holding back Kamikaze. Dude, look at me, then look at her. Which one of us do you think has a harder time pulling her weight?" She stared down at Akashi with a bitter smile on her face. "I lost that match, sure. The mistake I made there was the same one I ever made outside the ring, and that was trusting you."

Taylor moved to the middle of the ramp and sat down on her heels, one elbow resting on her thigh. "And ya know, there are a few things I am that you're not. Like, ya know, talented. Or how about tough. No one in the world can keep me down for long, Akashi, not even you. So go ahead, find someone else to be your Kaze, and you can fail them just like you failed me."

She stood up, and took in the view of the crowd. She put on her big grin again and gave the crowd a huge wave. "Bye guys! Have a good match, Kashi!" She said, and then dropped her mic on the floor and walked out.

Akashi was feeling pretty good about what all was going on. Her and Karina had seemed to heat things up a bit and she was looking forward to the match. But when Taylor's music hit, she felt her heart sink. She watched the punk burst out and the crowd cheered for her and played along with her. Part of her was really happy that Taylor had come so far. But that part of her was hidden deep in the recesses of her soul right now.

Taylor always liked to push buttons and Akashi could handle that. And she knew Taylor would be pissed. SHE'D be pissed if the roles were reversed, but Taylor always found a way to up the ante. She never stayed on the same level and always pushed things further than they needed to go. Akashi didn't feel like she was airing their dirty laundry, even though she was, but Taylor was doing it almost gleefully and that pissed Akashi off.

She furrowed her brow. There was a good chance Taylor wasn't going to even stop. She liked to pretend like the last word was hers. It wasn't going to be if Akashi had anything to say about it. "I already have a win against Gatt!" She called out. "If I can beat her once, then I can beat her any time and everyone here knows it!"

She took a deep breath. "And maybe Natalia DID get the better of me, maybe I should have pushed a little harder and I accept responsibility but at least..." She was shaking. "At least I have a win against Adrian Kytes! For all the things you say I can't do, I see two fights against her and no wins and I doubt she even compares to either Sarah-san or Natalia-chan! When this fight's over, I'll have beaten Karina too. Someone else I had to save your ass from! So, if you wanna trade wins and losses, be. my. guest!"

Akashi spiked the microphone hard and frowned. Whether Taylor was there or not, Akashi was coming up the ramp and if Taylor had stayed, she was about to come face to face with a charging bull.

Taylor held up her middle finger as she walked away, not in any real hurry to get out but not breaking her stride either. Her heart fluttered at the thought of Akashi coming after her right then. Would she do that? She really didn't know... Taylor disappeared behind the curtain.

Well, if Akashi wanted to find her, she wouldn't be hiding. She headed for a lounge area where she could sit and watch the evening's matches. She remained outwardly relaxed while being constantly ready to move if she did bump into Akashi.

Part of her was itching for a fight. Part of her wanted to prove to Akashi what she was really made of. The rest of her wanted to collapse on the floor right there in the hallway and bawl her eyes out over her lost friend. Her sister.