Av'12 Bamboo Forest, "I quit" match

Previously on AFW Avalanche: [url=http://afwrpg.informe.com/forum/avalanche-f85/av-12-silver-monkey-match-t7460.html:ujiu7hks]Silver Monkey Match[/url:ujiu7hks]
Next on AFW Avalanche: [url=http://afwrpg.informe.com/forum/avalanche-f85/av-12-prerecorded-interview-segment-2-t7462.html:ujiu7hks]Prerecorded Interview 2[/url:ujiu7hks]

Watch the Promo: [url=http://afwrpg.informe.com/forum/afw-promo-f44/conway-s-crib-feat-akashi-tanikaze-taylor-parker-t7431.html:ujiu7hks]Conway's Crib[/url:ujiu7hks]

Akashi Tanikaze
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 188 lbs
[url=http://afwrpg.informe.com/forum/friction-roster-f10/akashi-tanikaze-t956.html:ujiu7hks][/url:ujiu7hks]

vs

Taylor Parker
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 125
[url=http://afwrpg.informe.com/forum/friction-roster-f10/taylor-parker-t3480.html:ujiu7hks][/url:ujiu7hks]

match rules:
The outer edge of the ring is lined with vertical bamboo poles.
winning conditions:
Akashi: Taylor must say: "I am sorry. Forgive me, Onee-chan!"
Taylor: Akashi must say: "I admit it! We are not sisters!"

Taylor awoke on the most miserable day of her life without an alarm. It had hardly made sense to set one, since the sun was already up before she fell asleep and she didn't sleep for long. She stared up at the ceiling, motionless, her jaw clenched and her stomach in knots, for nearly an hour before getting up.

Sitting silently in her living room was her friend and roommate Cassie Elliot. The little redhead would've given anything to just be able to hug Taylor tightly until the day was over and everything was alright, but instead she only sat on the edge of the coffee table, paralyzed while she watched Taylor move about the kitchen as if the whole rest of the world didn't exist. Taylor drank a full liter of water and ate the correct breakfast, despite her lack of appetite. Then she showered, shouldered her backpack and left, pausing for just a moment at the door before walking the ten blocks to the AFW arena.

Backstage, she was sprawled over a couch with a baggy hooded sweatshirt over her ring gear, staring at nothing while [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IirtfZ_dCTQ:26r5pxt7]her mp3 player[/url:26r5pxt7] kept her company. All she could think about was Akashi. She thought of all the things Akashi had said, she imagined all the things she would do to her, and when she felt like she couldn't breathe she closed her eyes and tried to clear her head.

Breathe in, Breathe out. She didn't move a muscle until it was nearly time for the match.

When she stood up, her body felt warm before she even began to move and loosen up. She began to shadowbox, and she felt so fast and so light and so strong that it was almost frightening. She felt like she was barely in control of herself, like a car going way too fast. She knew that it was just the adrenaline and the nerves, but she felt like she might explode. Her pulse pounded, and she repeatedly had to consciously slow down her breathing. She had to save her energy for the match.

She paced her dressing room while the seconds ticked by. She kept the TV off, she didn't want to see anyone else's match. There was only one fight, and she was singularly focused on it. She heard Akashi in her head, saying that she didn't belong, accusing her of playing the always victim, telling her she had her chance to prove herself and that she'd blown it. Accusing her of quitting in their tag match when she'd fractured her ribs, of giving up and letting Heather Sunderland win because she was too afraid to try anymore. Calling her a disrespectful, disobedient brat, as if it was Taylor's job to do whatever Akashi wanted.

Akashi didn't respect her. She didn't care. She didn't believe in her, even when she had convinced Taylor that she did. Maybe only one of those things would change after tonight, but it was the only one Taylor really cared about anymore.

Taylor reached down for her mp3 player and picked out [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qY8SwTY96k:26r5pxt7]their old tag team music[/url:26r5pxt7]. Just hearing it, thinking Akashi walking out to the ring to that music with some cheap replacement partner, enraged her. She decided that she didn't care about the terms of the match. She didn't care about making Akashi say her line, whatever it was. That was stupid and pointless. She just wanted to hurt her, and if Akashi wanted it to stop she could spit out the line, otherwise Taylor was going to beat her into retirement.

An AFW staffer leaned in the doorway. "Five minutes, Ms Parker." He said. Taylor didn't acknowledge him. It was almost time, and suddenly she felt weak, like all the blood had drained out of her. She stood like a statue, fists clenched at her sides with her eyes closed, and counted each second as it ticked by until her cue.

Akashi had barely been able to sleep the night before. She had turned a restless night in an attempt at meditation. One that had only been mildly successful. She spent most of the evening swathed in the meditative smoke of incense and reflecting upon all that had happened in the last months. Her Imouto, sister, Taylor Parker had been almost solely responsible for the deterioration in her life. She had skidded off a cliff ever since her loss to Sarah Gatt that had taken everything she had out of her as well as stripped her of her title.

Taylor had thought that Akashi had given up on the match. Something that was entirely false. Taylor hadn't been in the match and the fact that she believed Akashi had given up only infuriated the big Sumo. Taylor had said that no matter what, even if she was wrecked that she would have continued to fight. But Akashi had fought as hard as she could and it hadn't been enough. It was such a disrespectful and dishonorable thing to say that Akashi could barely even believe that it had been uttered.

She again blamed Akashi when Akashi had been halfway across the world during Taylor's title defense. When Taylor had been ambushed by a despicable mountebank after a terrible loss, Akashi was blamed. Blamed and she wasn't even there! That girl made Akashi so angry. She was entirely too full of excuses. Akashi had been nothing but supportive and yet, Taylor had made her out to be the bad guy. She was nothing but a little brat and had gotten tot he point where it almost felt like Akashi had wasted her time. This match was the final straw. If she couldn't teach Taylor a proper lesson in respect, then she would just beat the girl until there was nothing left.

With those thoughts swirling in her head, daybreak came quickly and Akashi stirred. She did morning stretches and dressed up in her clothes. She went over to her family's house and spent the morning with them. They had a breakfast and she talked. If there was one thing that Taylor had taught her, it was that she needed to spend more time and take better care of her own family. Her brothers had been great successes in Sumo but for all they had achieved, it was Akashi, the girl, who had surpassed them in fame and fortune in the competitive ring.

It felt good and even though the topic of conversation had revolved around her match, Akashi had forgotten about Taylor briefly. Once the meal was over, she told everyone that she would be bringing her sister home to see them after the match.

It was a deal that she had made as part of the stipulations. But that promo had left her feeling empty. Taylor had gone insane and jumped Akashi. The Sumo still had the faint traces of a black eye from one of the punches. Akashi had accused Taylor of laying down int he fight with Heather and Cecilia, just as Taylor had accused Akashi during her fight with Sarah. But Akashi had seen it. Taylor had not done 'everything, even if she was wrecked' She had just simply laid there and took it. In Akashi's mind, Taylor had been far more egregious. That was the last time they had really been together without animosity. Even if the tag team hadn't broken up. Akashi could admit that she had done some petty things, like having Talia join up with her as part of Kamikaze, but it hadn't been just about Taylor.

Akashi's next stop was to her father's grave where she spent as long as she could in silent contemplation. Talia hadn't just been filling the hole left by Taylor. Mina, her long time girlfriend and basically fiancee had gone off back to her home on family business and never returned. After a while, excuses came more and calls came less. It had left the sumo feeling even more empty than the loss of Taylor. How could that blue haired punk understand? On top of that, her record had been skidding. She had a humiliating loss to one of her biggest rivals in Karina. Even if she had lost to Yuriko, which had just made it worse. In the end, her relationship with Talia, both professionally and privately seemed fleeting and she was left to run a Temple Games team feeling even emptier than before. Her team had been splintered and unenthusiastic and she scraped by with a last place finish.

If she hadn't counted the boxing match, which was interrupted by a pair of miscreants, then Akashi HAD won her last match and had won it in impressive fashion, more or less dominating and humiliating the idol Rei Tomizawa. Still, this match upcoming was quite different. A turning point for both girls.

Akashi stood up and said her peace to her father, asking for his guidance so that she could do the right thing. Then, she head to the arena. Having not seen it all day, she was lad she did what she did. Now she could go in, change and focus only on the wrestling. She girded herself in her leopard print mawashi sash and pulled a dark green sports bra over her impressive chest. Akashi then began doing traditional stretches until she was called forward. The moment was here and the adrenaline was beginning to course through her veins. She would definitely make Taylor say those words and reclaim her lost sister. And if she somehow couldn't, then she would just break the girl in half and make her wish she could say anything at all.

Taylor checked the floor-length mirror on the wall and fussed over her long bangs, pulling them across to the side and out of her eyes. She hardly looked like herself in her new ring gear. She was dressed all in red with black, a short red pleated miniskirt with a black stripe around the hem and a studded black belt around her hips. A short red halter with a black band around her ribs, just below her bust, and a wide red triangle that came up over each breast and connected behind her head, leaving her toned back bare except for the straps. Over her right breast was a black silhouette of a bird in flight.

Her thighs were covered in fine black fishnets, though her legs were mostly clad in a pair of tall black boots that came up just over her knees and secured there with a buckle. There were several black buckles up the outside of each boot, and the soles added an inch to her height, which would make her roughly the same height as Akashi, assuming she fought barefoot as usual. On her hands were black leather fingerless gloves stretched over her knuckles, she wore a wide leather bracelet on one wrist and a myriad of multicolored rubber ones on the other. A black cord necklace looped around twice and fit snugly against her neck. Her eyes were made up dramatically, darkly lined with blush-red shadows.

One thing was unchanged, and that was her bright blue hair pulled back in two pigtails. She took a deep breath, and started down the hall toward the arena.

She was ready and waiting when [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju7qSM1AMNA:1rl1rzso]her new music filled the arena[/url:1rl1rzso], and she exploded onto the entrance ramp, bounding her way to the front of the ramp. She leapt forward and turned a clean backflip, landing dramatically on one knee with one fist down and the other arm behind her, her head thrown down. She lingered for a moment, and then launched herself down the ramp and into the ring.

The crowd was electric, and while most of them cheered there were some Akashi Tanikaze groupies who booed her. She couldn't wait to make them boo some more. She leapt up in the corner and threw her arms up for the crowd, and let out a rough, adrenaline driven scream. She threw herself back into another neat backflip and hit the landing without taking a step, and then fixed her eyes on the top of the ramp while she waited for Akashi to show up. Her opponent.

Her enemy.

Akashi bounced on her heels in the backstage area as she heard Taylor's music play. She took deep, purposeful breaths. She could feel the adrenaline coarsing through her veins and while she waned to keep it flowing through her all night, she knew that she also had to stay calm. Taylor probably wanted Akashi to be over hyped, angry and wild. Akashi wouldn't let Taylor get into her before the fight had even started.

Akashi had chosen a special entrance theme for tonight's showdown as well. When Taylor's music died down, the lights went off as camera flashes lit up the arena. The slow ticks of the opening shamisen began to play before the [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VufB3dWsdM:1go2qg2n]song kicked in[/url:1go2qg2n] and the lights were thrown back on, accompanied by a quick blast of white, sparking fireworks. Akashi burst from the ramp tot he thunderous roar of the crowd and ran down the ramp at full speed, weaving from side to side to slap the hands of the audience. She literally slid into the ring, diving under the ropes before hoping up to her feet.

Once she was int he ring and standing, she began to perform her traditional dohyou-iri pantomime, bowing to each side of the ring and pretending to throw salt to cleanse the ring of evil spirits. When she was done, she went to her corner and turned around to look at Taylor. She stared the girl down and bowed respectfully before stepping forward. Akashi squatted and patted her legs. She then clapped and shouted loudly. Akashi then lifted up one leg high into the air and slammed it down, screaming again. She did it once more with her other leg, screaming again before slamming it down, never taking her eyes off Taylor. Whens he was finished, she moved forward and squatted, settling into her fighting stance, leaning over and putting one knuckle down on the mat as she waited for the bell.

Taylor's dark blue eyes were locked on Akashi from the moment she appeared on the ramp. She began bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet in anticipation, a faint smile on her lips while she watched the sumo play to the crowd. While Akashi ran through her little sumo routine, she wanted to throw a volley of snide, mocking remarks her way. She remained silent.

She met Akashi's attempts to intimidate her with an unflinching stare. She became light on her feet, moving like she was light as a feather while she flitted one way and then the other. Her body became relaxed, her movements smooth yet unpredictable, fast to the point of looking twitchy. She stayed between her corner and the middle of the ring while she faced down Akashi, and only broke eye contact to look up when the bamboo cage was lowered down over the ring and secured in place.

The bell rang, the crowd roared, and Taylor was off like a shot. She picked up speed, circling one way and the other, darting in one step at Akashi and immediately moving to the side and back out. Her sleek, defined, slender body was dwarfed by the hulking sumo. She looked like a bird harassing a bear while she moved around Akashi. In a moment, she would find out how hard the little bird could hit, and she would quickly regret underestimating her.

"You look a little tense." Taylor said.

Akashi remained silent as the bamboo "cage" was lowered around the ring and locked into place, creating a space where the two combatants would be locked up until one gave in. But that was an afterthought while she was stomping her feet.

When the bell rang, Akashi didn't move and stayed in her spot as she watched Taylor shoot out and want to dance around. Akashi breathed through her mouth. She knew that Taylor was faster than her. Often times, that was a good way to take the big sumo down. But most people foolishly tried to play Akashi's own game. She knew that Taylor wouldn't. As she taunted, Akashi arched her butt. "No, I'm focused." She said and pushed off her legs and charged at Taylor, shouting loudly. She knew Taylor would be expecting a headlong charge, that's why she waited. But still, even waiting it was easy enough to defend against. She knew that Taylor would know what her next move would be. A hard slap tot he chest. She couldn't be that predictable. As she steered towards Taylor, whens he was close, she instead brought both hands up and clapped them loudly, trying to get them in front of Taylor's face.

It was a sumo technique known as Nekodamashi. Something only used int he initial taichi-ai charge and usually only if the opponent wasn't expecting it. Akashi had never used it in a wrestling match and now was as good a time as any to try it out. Unlike a sumo bout, it didn't matter if she knocked Taylor to the ground or not. She only needed that blink, that one second of doubt and confusion that came from it. And if it succeeded, she would crash her body into Taylor. But she knew that a trick like that wouldn't put Taylor out of her game. Akashi just needed an edge at the start of the match when Taylor had an advantage that Akashi could admit to.

Taylor felt a surge of adrenaline and a flurry of butterflies in her stomach when Akashi threw herself into a charge. The fight was on, and Taylor had to be perfect. She had very little margin for error, and while Akashi could take some punishment and just shrug it off she knew that one clean shot from the giant sumo would mean big trouble for her. She had to be better than Akashi, and she had to be smarter too.


She didn't clutter her thoughts by trying to guess if Akashi was anticipating Taylor anticipating her. She kept her eyes on her and stood her ground, tense, and she waited until Akashi was just our of reach before springing to the side and landing in a neat roll while Akashi stomped past her. She was instantly back on her feet, and stayed back only far enough the Akashi couldn't reach her. She didn't want to look like she was running away, but she still wanted to frustrate her.

"Hey, you didn't even call me on my birthday this year." She said, as if the two were just having a conversation and not a no-holds-barred fight in a cage. "I was surprised, ya know, because you care so much. Fun fact, I think I'm the only person that was there at the diner last year that you haven't slept with. How 'bout that, eh?"

Akashi's hands slapped together as Taylor rolled away. It was fine. She certainly hadn't planned her whole strategy on the success of that. When she stomped past Taylor, she planted her feet and spun around surprisingly quick for a girl her size and was right back to facing Taylor with her guard up.

Her eyes met Taylor's as the girl spouted off. Now that the initial charge was over with, Akashi felt like she should settle down a bit. She pulled up her stance and shifted tot he side. In a situation like this, it would be best for Akashi to try and lock up. What she needed to do more than anything was clip Taylor's wings. But if she couldn't do them physically, there was one way she could go after Taylor. The blue haired girl was a good fighter, even Akashi would readily admit that. But a lot of Taylor's game involved keeping others off theirs with trash talk. Akashi let a small smile form on her lips. It seemed like Taylor was already starting. But the big sumo felt like shew as a mountain. Taylor's attacks would be futile against Akashi on all fronts. Her flurry of punches, kicks and attacks of all kinds as well as her unrelenting mouth would be nothing more than a gentle breeze against the rock hard sumo.

Once Akashi settled into a comfortable position, she threw herself forward at Taylor and aimed a beefy kick at Taylor's leg, right around the knee area. If the two were going to play a game of strategy like chess, then Akashi had to step it up. She needed to be playing Go and making Taylor look like she was playing checkers. Taylor had known Akashi's whole play book and vice-versa. It would be stiff working for either of them and Akashi knew she had to just keep Taylor moving in different directions than she was used to against the big sumo.

While her mouth ran almost automatically, wheels were turning in Taylor's head. She could talk shit to Akashi for days before she'd have to give it any thought, and maybe she could rattle Akashi a little and make her slip, maybe she couldn't. Akashi knew her well enough to ignore her, but maybe Taylor knew Akashi well enough to find a way through her stoic, look-at-me-I'm-a-sumo outer shell.

"Aw, you're not talking to me?" She pouted. "With your temper, you're probably afraid you'll freak out and start bawling. Hey, remember the time you headbutted me in the face right after I got out of the hospital because I said your girlfriend was a lesbian? Good times." She said, her eyes locked on Akashi, completely focused on the sumo's body language.

As Akashi faced her, Taylor put up her guard and looked like she was ready to meet Akashi head on. Akashi came in again, and it wouldn't have mattered what she threw at her, Taylor was already well out of the way, making no attempt to stay close enough to hit her back.

She cackled with infuriating laughter. "I think you're getting slower. Don't worry, if you can't cut it here you can just wash out into sumo. Or porn. Porn's probably more honorable, at least the mafia doesn't run that." So Akashi was gunning for Taylor's legs. That figured. Most people did, thinking they could take away Taylor's biggest asset. Taylor had decided on a target, herself, one that even the sumo's mass couldn't protect. She paced around Akashi and then settled back into her light, springy stance when she got near enough, making sure to stay in the middle of the ring. She had learned her lesson last time when Akashi had herded her into the ropes.