Promoting Tough Love

Akashi pulled down her hand to try and get a look at what Taylor might do next. She couldn't afford to sit around and collect herself. She had to be ready because she was sure that Taylor wouldn't stop. But as she looked, she saw Taylor leave the ring and her eyes widened. Akashi hopped up and clenched her fists. She glared at Taylor as the punk turned her back on Akashi.

The big sumo's face turned red and she charged forward. Sherolled through the ropes and spilled onto the mats below. Akashi began to charge, but her wooden geta made her even louder than she would have been. Akashi didn't care. She was seeing red. As she stomped towards Taylor, she knew she couldn't just plow into her so when she was close enough, Akashi launched herself and tried to drop kick Taylor and slam her wooden sandals into Taylor's body.

Taylor's ears pricked up at the heavy clack, clack clack of Akashi's stupid wooden shoes behind her. Instinctively she dropped into a half crouch and spun around. Akashi was taking the ever familiar two step approach leading up to a dropkick, and as uncharacteristic as it was for the big sumo, it was unmistakable. Taylor went to lunge to the side and avoid the kick, but hesitated. The relatively narrow entrance ramp didn't give her enough space. She succeeded in reducing the kick to a gracing impact, but she paid for her hesitation when it knocked her off balance and sent her plunging off the ramp and into the crowd below.

"Augh!" She screamed, flailing her arms before she went down. There was a mixed reaction from the crowd, but the laughs stuck out the most. She was on her feet in the blink of an eye, a rosy blush on her cheeks. The crowd parted to let her by as she circled back to the ramp, a safe distance from Akashi.

"Really?" She said. "You're just going to kick my in the back like that? You really are a fuckin' coward."

Akashi flopped tot he hard ground after her drop kick and grimaced. Probably not the best idea. Still, it seemed to have some results. Sort of. She slowly stood up and rubbed her side as Taylor put her between the crowd and started mouthing off. Akashi furrowed her brow and pointed at Taylor. "Shut your mouth!" She yelled. "You could hear my fat ass coming so don't give me that shit. She had to say it before Taylor did. "What do you call your cheap shot slap?" Akashi said as she lifted up her head and scowled down at Taylor. "See! This is the problem! You never could handle your own medicine. It's OK for you to do WHATEVER you want but as soon as someone gives you a taste you throw your hands in the air and cry about how no one gives you any respect! About how you're just trying to live your life and everyone else is at fault! You hide behind it, Taylor-chan! The excuse that no one sees it your way, it's run its course. You don't get to play by your own rules and call foul when someone else wants to do the same anymore." Akashi spat out.

Akashi then turned her back on Taylor and began to march towards the back stage area. She'd said everything she needed to say. If Taylor wanted to continue to jump her, fine. Akashi had been mugged before. By worse and tougher people than Taylor and she never once called it cowardly. Akashi clenched her fists as she walked, bracing herself in case. But she had a feeling that would be the end of it for now.

Taylor rolled her eyes and held up her hand with her fingers and thumb like a mouth, and flapped it open and shut like Akashi was doing with her actual mouth. She looked around the arena as if she was not paying the slightest bit of attention until Akashi was finished. Then she and her hand-puppet looked at Akashi, and then at each other, and then back to Akasihi.

"What?" She said, infuriatingly convincing. "Waddle away, Akashi. You just waddle away. Take your time, I know if must be rough. You must have a lot of aches and pains and... bad knees and stuff. You could get one of the little carts they have for fat people at Walmart." She began to raise her voice as Akashi got farther away, just to make sure she couldn't ignore her.

"Have fun with Talia, too, man. You're perfect for each other! She's a psycho, you're a psycho. You can be be lying bitches together! You made such a great team so far, and I'm sure you've had nasty, disgusting, dyke-sex already. Did you think about me while you did it, dyke?"

Taylor let her last words hang in the air, and then looked around. The next match was ready to start, and she didn't relish the idea of going backstage with Akashi so she instead just found a seat, which, she found out, belonged to an 18 year old kid who was coming back from the bathroom. Instead of moving she put him on her lap and they watched the match together. Taylor had a hard time sitting still during matches, and she filled in the generally awkward situation she'd imposed on the kid with jokes and anecdotes and several times she and the kid started a chant just to mess with the girls in the ring. She kept the kid laughing, and Taylor noticed with a smile the looks his friends were giving him, and the look he gave them. After the match, she signed an autograph and left, out one of the fire exits on the side, so that she could go straight home and not risk running into Akashi.